Mortality

It has been almost a year since I lost a very dear friend. Dena Bolton and I "met" through a website that we both submitted content to and went on to have a very close friendship. Coming to grips with life without our daily communications has been tough. Sometimes you don't realize how much you depend upon someone until they are no longer there.

As I dread remembering this loss that is still so surreal to me, life goes on.

Less than a year ago I got to know an incredible woman who today is celebrating what will probably be her last birthday. She is a mom and I cannot imagine how she is coping with the knowledge that she will have to leave her babies because her fight against cancer will soon be over.

This woman is not perfect; none of us are but she has shown an incredible will and strength that has inspired many. I hope her life has not been in vain and her fight makes changes happen to a system that is horribly broken. I never got to meet her in person but knowing her has still made a big impact on my life.

That's what it is all about. People come in and out of our lives for reasons that we often do not understand. We mourn them when they seem to pass too quickly but they leave footprints on our very being that can never be erased.

If it makes us stop and realize that the time we have here is precious and goes by too quickly, well, that is a good thing.

Life is short. This is why it is important to not put off anything. Say what you need to now. Do what you always dreamed of doing. Don't wait- you may not get the chance.