I went to the doctor thinking I would walk away with some Advil and directions to rest my leg. I thought I had pulled a muscle. Several whirlwind hours later, I was sitting in the ER waiting to be admitted to the hospital with 2 blood clots in my left leg. That day will stick in my mind forever. What stands out most is every medical person I came in contact with from the moment the blood clots were seen on the ultrasound screen said this, "you are lucky to be alive." I had ignored the signs and symptoms for almost 2 weeks. I was lucky to be alive.
So, with the anniversary of that day looming I started to think about the past year and all the things I might not have been here for. At first the list started with things like:
- Piper's 2nd birthday
- Zachary's 13th birthday
- another Christmas
- Our 13th wedding anniversary
- another Thanksgiving
- Zachary's first day of school
- Buying our first house
- Taking Piper to see her first movie
- Zachary's MESA team winning the county title and going to states
Then I started thinking about the smaller things I would not have been here for.
- bath time with Piper
- eating s'mores
- holding a sick toddler while she sleeps
- playing games with Zachary
- building with Lego's
- smelling fresh laundry
- looking for sharks teeth
- baking (and licking the beaters)
- reading Good Night Moon for the 1,000th time
- snuggling under a blanket on a cold Saturday morning to watch a soccer game
Trust me, the list could go on and on. In thinking about all these moments I got to live, I realized that each day this past year was a gift full of memories and moments that I might not have gotten to be a part of. Not a single one of us knows what the future holds for us. We can be here one day and gone the next. The only thing we can do, is live our lives to the fullest and enjoy each moment. I'm lucky, I know that now. I don't know if I have another year, or 10 or 50. What I do know is that I will do my best to savor each moment I do have, you should too!
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