I'm sorry.
Those are important words to learn at any age. I'm again learning them as I received news earlier this evening that my high school friend Kelly (Plummer) Lester passed away from liver cancer. Why do I bring this up on a blog about raising Houston kids? One: it's obviously on my mind. Two: it's the lesson we all learn again and again: live your life so you are not sorry for regrets. Live your life to its fullest.
My friend Kelly was a sassy gal who didn't take grit from anyone. Even in her last days, she made sure her husband was clear: she did NOT want to be buried wearing panty hose! That's my friend Kelly. But for parents, at least one lesson is to show our kids that life is short. (Kelly died at only 31 years of age.) Live life to its fullest and don't hold back. God didn't put us on this earth to live with a barrier around us or to live with hesitation. Instead, God said "here is everything for you to enjoy. Live." Enjoying life is so much more rewarding than worrying about the next test at school, wearing the right clothes or being popular. My friend Kelly thumbed her nose at all of that and instead loved life. When she could barely utter a word, she told another friend: "It's been a good ride." I choose to remember her that way. How will your children remember you? Add your comments to this blog to share with me & others your thoughts on the importance of being a good influence on living life. I hope to hear from you.
A salute to my Grandmother Frazier, who turned 93 this week, and to my friend Kelly, who was a great example of not letting life hold you back from enjoying it all.
3 comments:
First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers are with Kelly's family and friends. The loss of someone so young is never easy. Hold tight to one another in the coming days, and may God's peace abide in and comfort you.
Second, Megan is absolutely right. There is no time like the present to live life to its fullest. Both Megan's grandmother and her dear friend Kelly are examples of incredible women who have lived, loved and laughed often and much, even in the face of tremendous adversity. There can be no better inspiration than that which they provide for each of us to get out there and live life. Do not wait; do not be afraid. Do it today! As Henry David Thoreau once said, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined."
Kelly’s journey was short, but her purpose was clear. There isn’t a time I remember seeing Kelly that she didn’t have a smile on her face. Even when I forgot to write her a letter from camp (and tried to lie my way out of it) Kelly just laughed it off.
Although the loss of someone so great is painful, I am honored to have known her and blessed to have learned from her.
Dance as if no one were watching, Sing as if no one were listening, And live every day as if it were your last.
Thanks Kelly,
Colyn
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow: Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have;it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway. --Mother Theresa
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