fleeting moments

None of us know how long we have.

Over a decade ago, on the Friday before Mother's day-I was told I might die or the alternative, I would need a heart transplant. Maybe one day I'll tell the long version but the shorter one is that obviously neither happened. For many, many years I was feeling incredibly good. I had a whole new perspective on life and felt like a cat who was given another life. Lately things have not been so great but I thought it was just aging (yes, I'm officially middle aged). However, last week I went to the doctor over something very minor and am now facing a brain MRI. So far we are not hearing such good things. I hope to come back and change this post in less than a week.

None of us know how long we have.

We recently lost a loved one. I wish I had known him better but I knew enough to confirm my belief that people should not all be made like so many cookies-with cookie cutters. How boring that would be!

I do not define my spiritual beliefs with a denomination affiliation but I believe in God. For many years I thought I had to earn God's love. I viewed God as a big, rather strict, Father in the sky who was mostly unhappy with me. That has changed completely. God is LOVING. I don't claim to know it all, as often and as much as I have read the Bible, I just basically have a confession: I really don't get it. I choose to live and love completely and try hard not to intentionally hurt another person.

So back to the story. I am so thankful that the doctor's prognosis was wrong and I didn't die but many people that I love did. My nephew died before he turned one. Both of my grandmothers passed away. I lost an old boyfriend (and dear friend) in a plane accident.

Get to know the people in your lives that you have been thinking are too different or that their lives are too different from yours-whether it is the church they go to, their social status, their appearance, whatever. We are all human and God loves us ALL. By getting to know them you may learn something. You may find your own world is too "cookie cutterish".

If someone has hurt you and you haven't forgiven them, do so now. Give them a chance.

As Marianne Williamson says in her book Return to Love, "Forgiveness is the key to inner peace because it is the mental technique by which our thoughts are transformed from fear to love." Choose love.

None of us know how long we have to live.

None of us know how long the people we love have to live.