Cherish the time you have

I always remember a story that someone told me one time and the quote at the end is "Life is what happens while you are busy making plans". This is so true for all of us in life. We are so focused on the present, raising kids, taking care of our families, working etc, that we sometimes forget to stop and enjoy life. I am a huge homebody and am most relaxed sitting at home watching a movie, reading a book or just spending some quality time with my family. I am not a roamer by nature and while traveling is nice from time to time, I like to be in my home with my people. As I said in an earlier post, I enjoy unwinding with my gal pals. They make me laugh and allow me to be who I am. That being said I want to let you know about one of the most precious gifts I have ever been given in my life. The love of my family. My sister is the first one I am going to talk about. She is a wonderful woman in so many ways. She is a good mother, wife, sister, and granddaughter. Having said that she is also a fantastic person....She tends to sometimes forget that she is not just the things I mentioned but a beautiful person from the inside out. Now, when we were growing up, we fought like cats and dogs. She and I have very different personalities and are total opposites in almost every way. We did the typical I can't stand you for most of our childhood and teenage years. It was not until we grew up and had children that we learned to appreciate each other for the women that we have become. I love her for the person that she is and embrace the differences between us. She is so much more amazing than she realizes and I love her very much.
Then there is my mom. I have often told her that she is the strongest woman that I know. She has faced more adversity in her lifetime than most people ever think about. She has faced the death of a child, parent and spouse. She has done all this and has managed to maintain a wonderful outlook on life and love. She is a survivor in so many ways. I attribute alot of my parenting skills to my mom. She taught me alot about lessons in life and how to handle just about any situation. One of the things she taught me in life that stick with me is that people will treat you the way you allow them too. This is so true. I have made my share of mistakes and looking back on them I realize that she was right. I allowed alot of what happened to me happen by not standing up and saying " no, you are not going to treat me this way!
I have already talked in a previous post about my grandmother and the type of person that she is. I am so blessed to have been able to spend so much time with her over the past few years and hope to continue to do so. Growing up, I did not get to spend much time with my grandmother as I did not see her very often. She lived in Pennsylvania and was still raising kids herself. It was not until I became an adult that my grandmother and I became friends. She is a wonderful, funny, amazing woman that I hope to continue to be able to share time with.
Now, I am going to talk about my dad. What a wonderful man! I have always said that he was greatest man I ever knew and that is so true. He was the most loving, giving person I have ever known. He was my biggest cheerleader and my soft place to fall when life was getting me down. He faced alot of adversity in his life and stayed smiling until the day he died. He was a rare breed of man who never judged me but always told me the truth if I asked for it. He and I used to talk every Sunday morning on the telephone. Now understand that my dad did not talk on the phone....He was not one for idle chit chat. But, every Sunday morning we spent about an hour talking about life and everything in it. We would discuss kids, football the weather, politics, religion and so on. The one thing he would always tell me is "life is a gift". Each and every day I have here is a blessing. You know I should not be here but I am. He would always tell me that he was not ready to go today but if it was his time to go then he would and would have no regrets. He told me every time I saw or talked to him that he loved me and was proud of the woman I had become. My dad has been gone a year now and I miss him each and every day. However, I cherished the time that I had with him and know that we never left the most important saying in life unsaid. " I love you" is the most important gift you can give your family and friends. Not just saying it but showing it in each and every way. I know that my dad is smiling down on me each day saying....there you go baby. I am so proud of you and I love you. So, cherish the time you have with your greatest gifts in life....your family and friends......A valuable lesson I learned from my family and friends.