This beautiful moon presented itself to me from my driveway last week.
MacGyver lost his dad a week ago very suddenly. He was only 66 years old. We are still processing the shock of it all and our hearts are swollen with sorrow.
One of my best friends lost her dad the very same week. And I heard two stories just yesterday of people who lost their young fathers suddenly.
I lost my sister when she was 36, my mentor when he was only 57 and one of my best friends when she was only 32.
I’m always saying that life is short but even I often lose sight of just how fleeting and temporary it can be. We’re so lucky to be here right now and to have those in our lives right now.
One of the blogs I follow had a post recently that stressed the importance of focusing on the wonderful in those in our lives and not missing chances to tell people about the things in them that we appreciate.
I think MacGyver knows how much I appreciate, adore and respect him because I tell him constantly. But I hope he knows I mean it with every ounce of my heart.
I hope my kids know the unmeasurable amount of love I have for them and how very proud I am of the young men that they are, even though we frustrate each other so often. And how my heart breaks for them when they struggle,
I hope my Dad knows how wicked smart I think he is and how much his drive and determination inspire me. And I hope he knows how much I appreciate all he has done for me and taught me and that I wish I still lived down the street. I hope my Stepmom knows how much I appreciate that she is in my life and how much she has taught me through her grace and loving heart.
I hope my Stepdad knows how much I love and appreciate him and the way he has stood by my Mom. And I hope that my Mom knows, or knew when she could, how much I appreciate all the sacrifices she made for me, all the love that she gave me and all the things that she taught me which helped make me who I am.
I hope my friends know how much I appreciate them and their thoughtfulness, support and patience with me despite my myriad of idiosyncrasies. How much I love to hear their voices or read texts or notes from them, and to learn from them and laugh with them until my face hurts.
I hope my oldest niece knows how much I treasure our relationship and that she realizes how wonderful I think she is. I hope my nephews know how impressed I am with the young men they have become and how proud of them that I am. And that my young nieces know how much I love them and look forward to watching them become young women.
I hope my cousins know how much I appreciate their efforts to stay connected and how happy I am to be part of their family tree.
I hope my Mother-in-law knows how much I appreciate how she raised such a wonderful man. And that I appreciate her and love her. And that my sister-in-law knows how much I love and care about her and wish we lived closer.
I know that my sister knows how much I miss her and keep her in my heart every day because I can feel her with me. For that I am truly grateful.
And I hope that my father-in-law, who I called Big D, knew how much I loved and admired him. How much I learned from him … not only about how to hang sheet rock or tile a bathroom at record speeds, but more importantly about keeping a positive mental attitude and always being willing to roll up his sleeves and give a helping hand to anyone who needed it. I wish I had told him all that and more. And I hope that he knew it in his heart. I think he did.
What do you hope someone knows? Tell them.
life on wry 
Thank you for reminding me. Blessings. Loved it!
Glad you liked!
Beautiful post. And a great reminder!
To know that someone has had this realization gives me hope…thanks!
I am glad. thank you for stopping by.
Very sorry for your loss…
thank you so much…
Reminding me to let everyone know how I feel about them. Beautiful post.
Great lesson here–I’m happy to say that everyone in my life knows exactly what I want them to know. I keep telling them and I hope they keep hearing it!
Smart lady.
I must confess, I’m not very good about telling loved ones how much they mean to me. I’ll try to do better. Thanks for the reminder.
It’s a hard thing to remember….
My thoughts are with you and Sean. Your post is a beautifully written wake-up call.
Thanks dear Hydro.
Very sad indeed, Wry. I’m so sorry…
People ask me why I get happier and happier as I get older and I tell them that life is fleeting and growing old is far better than the alternative. I had two friends pass from breast cancer when they were in their mid twenties and all they wanted was to stay and watch their children grow up. This had an enormous effect on how I view life.
Sometimes we forget to tell those around us that we love them – this is a beautiful post and a reminder for everyone to say those few precious words xoxoxoxo
Smart lady. Thank you…. 🙂 I had a friend who wanted the same thing and didn’t get it.. and cancer was the culprit there too. Argh. Not fair. So sorry about your friends.
We do hope that people know how we feel, but it’s true, unless we tell them they won’t. We need to tell them. Excellent post, WryGirl 😉
Something I need to always be reminded of. Thanks so much for your kind words!
I’m so sorry for your loss and I’m grateful for this reminder. Thank you!
By the way: I appreciate your posts.
Aw shucks… thanks so much…
What a tear-jerker 😦 As I grow older, I can see the need to tell people how much I love them or how I’m grateful for them. When people leave this world, it does drive me to let the living know how much I care for them. I want to be able to have the peace of knowing that the last thing that I said to them made them feel and know that they are truly loved. 🙂
Thanks so much for reading. It’s amazing how one person’s death can have a ripple effect on our lives.
This is a great post! You should add a “you may need a few Kleenex for this one” warning, though. OMG. So moving. And so true.
You are too kind. Thanks so much.
Enjoyed your post! We should really be grateful to our loved ones as well as the things that we cherished. I wrote a blog on “It’s the simple things that count” http://kidsrsimple.com/2013/05/02/its-the-simple-things-that-count/ It is a way to remind myself to treasure what I have. I hope you can drop by and give your thoughts 🙂 And I should dedicate a more elaborate post to all my loved ones too.
Thanks so much. Just read your lovely post!