Yesterday, a lady by the name of Debbie, a 49-yr-old mother and wife was robbed of her ability to count her blessings.  Debbie lost her life in a head-on collision.  Debbie was a former co-worker of mine.  She was sweet, kind, and quiet.  Until she laughed.  You knew it was Debbie laughing from across the room.  It’s been nearly nine years since I worked with Debbie.  I only knew her as well as you can know someone in an office setting for eleven months.  And yet, today, I grieve.

Life passes way too quickly.  We get bogged down and caught up.  Things that don’t matter consume our time.  We spend more time irritated with those closest to us, than revelling in the sheer joy of being with them.  We miss the lunar eclipses because we’re too tired, and you know it will happen again.  We make our to-do lists and cross them off.  We think of someone, contemplate calling, and then don’t.  We avoid eye contact with strangers.  We make snap judgments on people and situations.  We forget to smell roses and make dandelion chains.  We put off getting our kids a dog because it’s not a good time.  We put off playing with our kids because we’re busy.  We put off even having children because it’s not a convenient time.  Life passes.  Too quickly.  If Debbie could tell us one thing from the other side, I’m sure she would beg us to live life to the fullest.  To embrace it all. 

Today I will count my blessings.

I have a wonderful, devoted husband that loves only God more than me.  Being married to him has increased my capacity for forgiveness, mercy, and joy.

I have five beautiful, healthy children.  Being their mother has challenged me and drawn out much of the selfish drive that inhabits most of us as human beings.  It has also grown in me a love so deep I would literally die to give my children life.  I smile more because of them.

I have a small, yet very dear circle of friends.  Most of them are separate from each other; their lives only touching because they know me.  We all have our differences; in personality, lifestyle, opinions and faith.  But we all share in the bond of womanhood, connecting in those areas that cross the boundaries of all our differences.

I am loved.  I don’t feel lovable all the time.  But people love me.  They care.  I have been blessed with free groceries, free babysitting, free hugs.  I have been blessed with the gift of beauty through a gift card to a lovely store down-town.  I have been blessed with the gift of rest through a gift certificate for a spa experience; a time to be responsible for no one else; for my body to be pampered, my mind rejuvenated, and my emotions mended. 

There are dark days for all of us, but of this I am sure: life is beautiful.  May I never take another moment for granted, or waste a day waiting for the clock to tell me it’s bedtime for my children, or disregard the lessons that the dark moments offer.  I want to love, laugh, grow, breath, feel, taste, smell, emote, hear, sing.

I leave you with these thoughts to ponder; and the words from a song by one of my favourite groups, Superchick.

“We live we love
We forgive and never give up
‘Cause the days we are given are gifts from above
Today we remember to live and to love
We live we love
We forgive and never give up
‘Cause the days we are given are gifts from above
Today we remember to live and to love”

But the good news is……..