Cruising through the day

Well it started at 7 this morning, it was my first appointment of the day and it was a local home.  The property has been carefully kept and has many new things, a perfect setting on a large lagoon, big living area of over 3,600 sf with huge kitchen, oak everywhere and impressive condition.  The man who lives next door on some weekends wants to purchase this home for the future and they together wanted an appraiser's opinion.  Nice way to start the day.

Then it was back home to work for awhile and to have breakfast.  At 10 I was at a home in Brentwood but I was not prepared for what I was to learn there.  When I arrived the husband greeted me and then I measured the home, found a beautiful pool and spa that were carefully covered with a walk on cover and a batting cage beside the house.  Once inside I found a family home with nice appointments.  On the second floor I walked into a girls room and commented on a beautiful blanket that hung in front of the closet, it had photos of a young girl.  Then the father explained that she had died, that the ocean took her in one of those unguarded moments and the undertow took her life.  I was so struck by the sadness of the moment and then I noticed that the room was the same as it had been on the day she died.  Nothing had been changed.  It was a memorial to her memory.

We talked a bit about losing precious people and shared some feelings.  He said that in their family time is measured by how long it has been since she died, they go on but never forget yet keep busy with current life for their children who live.

How important that we treasure the present with our loved ones, how easy to slip into habits of just being together and not realizing how special it is to have our loved ones, our children, our spouses, we have them right now and yet nothing is for sure, an accident, a casual looking away from the waves of the ocean and minutes later a child is gone.  I lived for years a life where I just expected everything to be OK, we had years of a mostly carefree life, then cancer struck and still we had years of mostly normal life with increasing detours for medical events, surgeries, meds, Ct Scans, Pt Scans, transfusions and on and on.  Yet we had each other in our family and we all treasured the time we had.

For those of you who are so far untouched, blessings on you, enjoy and be thankful, for those of you who are in transition from total health to troubled health blessings on you too.

Today I was brought up short by the admission of this loving father, my daughter died he said matter of factly, how else could he explain.  Yet it is obvious that that precious family will never be the same as long as life lasts.  Can I ask that you be a little more patient with your child, your spouse, just care verbally a bit more.  We live in a very troubled world with nearly everything we treasure up for grabs.  Yet we can care for each other in spite of the world.

There are some people who have touched my life in ways that I will never forget, I've been lifted, encouraged, fortified, challenged and I treasure what has been shared.  Thank you to each of you for being in my life.

Love

tim