reminder...

the first time i entered the church of the immaculate heart of mary in belmont was in 1988...20 years ago...it was a joyous day...i remember everything being so pink...pink everywhere...it was carol's favorite color...and it was carol's wedding day...

the second time i entered the church of the immaculate heart of mary in belmont was last week...it was carol's funeral...

death is a natural event in life...we all know...somewhere in the back of our minds...that it is inevitable...but when it takes the life of someone who was still so young...sometimes it is hard to grasp...it makes one snap into reality...again...and it reminds you that life should not be taken for granted...our life should not be taken for granted...

i don't think that the majority of people take life for granted...i think we just get caught up in the every day of "life" and sometimes...well our focus may get a bit muddled...

carol had battled cancer for 7 years...her last 7 years of life were planned around chemo and radiation and pain...she had every reason to curl up in a ball and say..."life is not fair"...why me?"...as her friends and family spoke of her...no one could say that she ever muttered a complaint of her situation...wow...

when i think of that...well...it really blows my mind...i mean...if anyone had a reason to complain...i would say it could have been carol...she knew her life was coming to an end...she knew that she was going to leave behind two young children...she knew that she was going to leave the husband she had loved for 20 years...she knew that she was a good person...

it really makes me take a step back and think about two things in particular...how am i taking my life for granted? how can i possibly complain about my miniscule situations that come and "shake me up" a bit...

carol had such a zest for life...to her last day...she savored every minute given to her...and made the best of it...she constantly talked about the important things in life...family, friends, love...she had passion for sports & competition & work...but her main passion always revolved around her family & friends...and she made each one of them feel it...even during her worst times...

funerals serve as reminders that we are not promised tomorrow...and it jostles us (hopefully) to rearrange our priorities...not to sweat the small stuff...and remember what life is truly all about...