Once Upon A Lifetime

[Guest]

I wonder if we've all done this, at least to some extent. Someone we know, perhaps love and/or care very much about, or perhaps even just know through media outlets, dies ... and we say "He/she will be missed" and/or "We'll never forget him/her" ... because of how they treated and/or respected us ... and/or changed our life in some way/shape/fashion. But, life continues and, gradually, the feeling of loss lessens. Then, somewhere down the line, you find something or read or see or hear something that, instantaneously, reminds you of that person. For that matter, it doesn't even have to be a death. Maybe it's an old friend with whom we've lost touch ... or an event (sporting or otherwise) that captured our attention and was very important to us at the time....

In going through my old files, I found some old newspaper clippings ... some of sporting events (Cubs games, the Bulls' World Championships, The Bears' Super Bowl Shuffle lyrics) and others of people I've known (friends and family). One group of clippings, in particular, included columns of Gene Seymour, along with several articles about him and his death. Seymour was a longtime sports columnist for the newspapers of the then Copley News who took an interest in my writings during my college days. I never met him, but I spoke with him several times while I was employed by The CourierNews, a Copley newspaper. Finding the old articles and letters jarred me ... and it was weird how those days suddenly flashed in my memory as if they were just yesterday. Yet, at the same time, they felt like a lifetime ago....

This, along with some events of this past week, reminded me of how short and fragile life is ... and how much we sometimes miss because we are sssooo busy. Too many times we argue and bicker and fight ... and then only seem to realize the good in others once we can no longer share time with them ... or, for that matter, tell them how much they mean to us and/or how they've shaped our lives.

*shrugs*

Maybe it's just me ... but, it's frustrating that it feels impossible to tell EVERYONE in my life (parents, sister, bro-in-law, aunts/uncles/cousins, grandparents, friends, etc.) just how much they mean to me, etc. Yet ... at the same time, those that are close to me, I'm sure, already KNOW this ... despite arguments/fights/hurt feelings that happen in between the good times. At least ... I hope they do anyway.... It's ironic how the meanings and good feelings are sometimes hard to express, but the hurtful things are so freekin' easy to display....

So....am I the only one that feels this? Or, do you have people in your life that you've "forgotten" ... or that you know understand how you feel without telling them ... or that, perhaps, you wonder if they really do know?

Just some food for thought....



Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"I never meant to leave you alone" ... Michael Martin Murphy ... 'Don't Count The Rainy Days'

 

[Superbob]

This, along with some events of this past week, reminded me of how short and fragile life is ... and how much we sometimes miss because we are sssooo busy. Too many times we argue and bicker and fight ... and then only seem to realize the good in others once we can no longer share time with them ... or, for that matter, tell them how much they mean to us and/or how they've shaped our lives.

Cort: That is very well said and very true. We should thank those who helped us along life's highway while they (and we) are still around.

 

[hensylee]

you are right, Cort. when my family talks on the phone, every time before saying goodbye, we always say 'I love you' - without fail.

Sometimes we don't get a chance to say goodbye or I love you to those we hold dear. We should do it while they are still around to hear it. It can be done in so many ways - just somehow to let them know they made a difference in our lives.

I had a tough high school Eng/Lit teacher who was my favorite. She hardly knew me outside the classroom and I was 'just' a name in her roll book, but she made me appreciate English and Literature and she booked no nonsense from any of us. Wish she had known....

 

[Harrybaby666]

Cort...you are soooooooo right on the button with this one....

Cort...you are soooooooo right on the button with this one....

I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to my grandfather, as I would have liked to have been able to do, his death was very sudden, but realizing this, I have made sure I told my grandmother how much I love her, and even now, as she is about to leave us, I make sure I tell her this, even though she may or may not understand it due to the tumor. We are soon to gather, my family and I to say goodbye to gram, and I will hold this in my heart forever (even when I am gone).

This has brought back a memory of when I spent my last summer with my grandparents up at their lake, and the day we left to come home, my granfather stood there, crying, and I wished that I had the brains at the time to realize that he was saying goodbye to his grandchildren...I had never seen him cry before, and now I feel aweful that I didn't really understand at that point he knew he was going to leave us....(I was 15 at the time). Harrybaby

 

[Mary]

Cort,
I always try to let everyone know how much I love and appreciate them. It's selfish on my part; I don't want regrets in the event I unexpectedly lose someone close to me. I also refuse to part company having argued or said something I might later regret.
It's not that I worry that life is so short; it's the certainity that life often ends with no advance warning.

 

[Guest]

*nods*

Thanks for your replies. Guess I'm not really sure why I posted this ... even I admit it's a bit "too deep" ... he he. But, it just seems that we miss sssoooo much because we're so busy ... and only the negative seems to be captured.....

*shrugs*

But, I'm glad I'm not the only one....



Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"Time is a valuable thing" ... Linkin Park ... 'In The End'

 

[hensylee]

I'm glad you posted it.

 

[Debster]

I am glad you posted this too Cort. My stepfather lost his 2 year leukemia battle on Feb 20th-we all miss him terribly. My mom is so lonely-she is finally felling better with her pacemaker and now she is alone. But you bring up a great point-life is short and can end immediately. One blessing I have is that my stepdad and I were close and I have no regrets-he knew how I felt about him and I knew how he felt about me. He has children from his first marriage that are suffering now because they were not a big part of his life and now it is too late. I feel so fortunate and I try to do my best to make sure everyone in my life knows how much I love and appreciate them! Another great topic-Deb

 

[Guest]

Thanks, Deb and Ann ... I appreciate that.

In some ways ... it just felt like the "right" thing to do ... in other ways, not so much ... he he.



Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"It's time to take a leap of faith" ... Steven Curtis Chapman ... 'Dive'