Water
I TOOK A DAY TRIP WITH MY FAMILY TO THE BEACH A FEW WEEKS AGO AND IT WAS A LOVELY DAY! WE WENT IN THE WATER, HAD SOME LAUGHS, COLLECTED ROCKS AND TOOK SOME WELL DESERVED NAPS. IT WAS FABULOUS DAY!
AS MUCH AS I WOULD LOVE TO STAY THERE, WE MUST COME HOME BUT I DO SO WITH A CLEARER PERSPECTIVE. THAT PERSPECTIVE IS HOW I WANT TO MOVE FORWARD. QUITE HONESTLY, I AM HAPPY. I HAVE A GREAT FAMILY AND I AM BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE.
AS I SAT ON THE BEACH, I SAW FAMILIES. FAMILIES OF EVERY SHAPE AND SIZE. EXTENDED FAMILIES. FRIENDS THAT ARE FAMILY. YOUNG COUPLES WITH THE HOPES OF BECOMING FAMILY. AS I WATCHED THEM, MOST OF THEM SWAM IN BETWEEN THE SIGN THAT SAYS “SWIM IN GUARDED AREA ONLY”. EACH PARENT, AUNT OR UNCLE OR GRANDPARENT STOOD IN THE SURF HOLDING THE HANDS OF THE LITTLE ONES JUMPING EACH WAVE. IT TRULY WARMS THE HEART KNOWING THAT THOSE ADULTS, WHOMEVER THEY ARE WERE TRULY FOCUSED ON PROTECTING THOSE CHILDREN. WHY? WELL THE OCEAN DOESN’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE. IT DOESN’T CARE THAT YOU ARE 5, 15, 25 OR 65. THE OCEAN HAS NO MORAL COMPASS IT JUST DOES WHAT COMES NATURALLY TO IT BY FOLLOWING THE TIDES AND WEATHER. SOMETHING THAT EVEN THE OCEAN HAS NO CONTROL OF.
ISN’T THAT LIFE, THOUGH. WE THINK WE HAVE CONTROL OF OUR LIVES BUT IN REALITY WE DON’T. I WAS READING OF A GO FUND ME PAGE FOR A YOUNG FATHER YESTERDAY. IT WAS A VERY SUDDEN PASSING AND HE WASN’T PREPARED. NOW THE FAMILY IS LOST WITHOUT THEIR HUSBAND AND FATHER AND NOW EVERYTHING THEY KNEW IS IN JEOPARDY BECAUSE HE WAS WITHOUT LIFE INSURANCE.
I HAVE A TRUE STORY FOR YOU THIS WEEK. THERE WAS A FAMILY OF FOUR, MOM, DAD AND TWO TEENAGE GIRLS. THE MOTHER AND FATHER BOTH WORKED BUT THE MOM WAS PART TIME SO SHE COULD PICK UP THE GIRLS FROM SCHOOL. THE DAD WOULD COME HOME FROM WORK AT NIGHT AND IT WAS A PRETTY “NORMAL” LIFE. ONE DAY IN CLASS, THE SCHOOL NURSE COMES DOWN TO ONE OF THE GIRL’S CLASSROOM AND ASKS FOR HER, TO COME OUT TO THE HALLWAY AND BRING HER BOOKS. THE NURSE EXPLAINS THAT HER FATHER IS ILL AND THAT HER MOTHER IS PICKING HER UP FROM SCHOOL…NOW. SHE GATHERS HER BELONGINGS GOES OUTSIDE AND HER MOTHER AND SISTER ARE ALREADY WAITING FOR HER. SHE JUMPS IN THE CAR AND HER MOM SAYS, “DADDY IS SICK AND IN THE HOSPITAL.” THE NEXT THING SHE KNOWS SHE IS AT THE HOSPITAL AND HER FATHER IS ON LIFE SUPPORT. ALL SHE THINKS ABOUT IS, “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?! HE WAS FINE THIS MORNING WHEN HE SAID GOODBYE TO GO TO WORK?” THE DOCTOR EXPLAINED THAT HER FATHER HAD A BRAIN ANEURYSM AND MAY NEVER COME OUT OF THE COMA. THEY WILL TRY TO RELIEVE SOME PRESSURE IN THE BRAIN BUT THEY ARE NOT SURE IF IT IS REALLY GOING TO HELP. NOW HER SISTER AND HER MOTHER ARE IN TEARS AND SHE IS TRYING TO PROCESS THE REALITY OF IT ALL. WELL, THE FATHER HUNG ON AS BEST AS HE COULD FOR TWO WEEKS BUT THEN GOD TOOK HIM HOME. SHE COULD NOT BELIEVE THE TURN OF EVENTS IN JUST TWO SHORT WEEKS! EVERYONE WAS SO GRACIOUS TOWARDS THIS FAMILY. THEN AFTER THE FUNERAL EVERYTHING STOPPED AND PEOPLE WENT BACK TO THEIR LIVES. ALL THIS YOUNG GIRL CAN THINK ABOUT IS, “NOW WHAT HAPPENS.” “DO WE LIVE HERE? DO I GO TO A NEW SCHOOL? WHAT HAPPENS TO ME AND THE REST OF MY FAMILY.” SOON AFTER THE FUNERAL, THE YOUNG GIRL COMES DOWNSTAIRS TO FIND HER MOTHER CRYING IN HER GRANDMOTHER’S LAP, HER SISTER IS LOOKING AT HER IN TEARS. WE CAME TO FIND OUT THAT THE DAD NEVER SIGNED HIS LIFE INSURANCE POLICY FOR $100,000. NOW BACK THEN THAT WAS LIKE $1M. ALL FOR THE WANT OF A SIGNATURE, COULD HAVE CHANGED THE LIVES OF THIS SMALL FAMILY.
NOW I BET YOU ARE ALL SAYING THAT IS A GREAT MADE UP STORY THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE. WELL IT DID BECAUSE THE GIRL BEING PICKED UP FROM SCHOOL WAS ME. MY DAD NEVER THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO DIE SO HE NEVER GAVE IT ANOTHER THOUGHT. DO ME A FAVOR. GIVE IT SOME THOUGHT…..RIGHT NOW.
REMEMBER, IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU. IT IS ABOUT THE LIVES YOU ARE HOLDING HANDS WITH WHILE YOU JUMP THE WAVES OF LIFE.