I Love Life

About four years ago, I arrived at my grandma’s to let her know in person that her little brother had passed away. Although she was sad, she was also very calm and reflective about it. She was convinced that he had left the world more peaceful than he had been in a long time.  Later that evening I asked her how she was doing. She smiled and said, “I’m okay. I am just enjoying life and living. I love life.”
Today my grandmother celebrates 86 years in this world with, as she would say, “with a reasonable portion of health.” I cannot fathom some of the pain, injustice, abuse, and mistreatment she has encountered during this time, but I have witnessed her constant push to live each day to the best of her ability, without regret or false hopes; she finds joy in the so-called little things.

As the holiday season approaches, I am excited about all the new memories that I will share and create with friends and family. That is not to say, however, that I don’t recognize the empty seats at Thanksgiving or quiet moments of sadness between friends and family who remember. My grandmother has taught me through her own example how a person can exist with pieces of their heart between this world and the next without getting too down: it is to focus on life…our lives, each day, the life we remember with the ones we still love.

I wish you well,
Les