sad, but blessed

Due to working in a lovely small cafe we tend to get close to our customers. Many of them live nearby and come in quite often. They keep up with our lives as we do theirs. Last evening I found out that one of our regulars who has been battling cancer passed away. Her and her husband live on the same street as the restaurant and since I live in the neighborhood I would always wave and say hi or make some small talk when walking by.

As we were working last eve my boss and I noticed a fire truck & paramedic outside, but after a short while they left without taking anyone with them. We were hoping for the best, but a couple hours later we sadly saw the coroner's van come. As it was right at closing time we both went out to express our condolences to J. In the small world that is our community his brother M. is married to a family friend I have known for years and they were both there also.

It is always sad to be with someone whose loved one has just passed, but the moment the coroner drove away J. broke down and it broke my heart.

This is the moment none of us want to experience, for ourselves or others.

I walked away after this experience with sadness, but also feeling so blessed with the people within my life. I went home and called my sweet friend B, a phone call in which tears & laughter were equally shared. It is so important to let those in your life know daily just how loved they are. There are lots of  sayings about how life is short, life it to the fullest...etc...etc,but seriously we do only have one life to live so make the most of it and the people you have within it!

Take a moment today to share some of your love, give someone a hug, a kiss or even just a smile.

I love you my friends...