Count Your Blessings.

I have a very heavy heart with all that has been going on lately. Today I was visiting my grandparents when they got the call from family that my 34 year old cousin was diagnosed with cancer. I am heart broken. When we went to Chicago last Fall we stayed with him and his wife. We were raised together in the South but he moved North for a better career opportunity and then met his wife so he stayed. We visit and keep in touch but I haven't talked to them since they found out the news. We don't know the prognosis but we do know that it is a type of leukemia. He is currently at the Chicago Cancer Center. Michael, we love you and we will be praying for you.

To make the day even more interesting... I was on my way to talk to my dad about some other things that have been going on. I got to his house (3 miles from my Grandparents), walked through the gate to the back yard and he was on the phone. My grandmother had called andGrandaddy fell and needed our help to get up. So, we loaded up again and drove back to their house to find him in the bathroom floor where it looked like something from a horror movie. There was blood all over the floor and all over the both of them. He can't remember falling so he must have blacked out. We helped him get cleaned up and then got him ready to go to the hospital. He pleaded with me to just get it to stop bleeding so he wouldn't have to get stitches. It took a while but we did finally get it to stop. However, he has a black eye and a huge gash.

It is especially during times like these that I treasure my family because I know that one day they will not be here anymore. God first, family second, and everything else last. I am too old to play silly games, as my good friend says. There have been many heartaches lately and I don't understand it. Maybe it isn't meant to be understood but I can't say that it makes it any easier. I just wish people would remember the golden rule "do unto otherrs as you would have them do unto you."So despite the heavy heart and the many tears I just continue to count my blessings and be thankful for what is good in my life. Someone once said that all the time you spend being angry or sad is another moment of happiness that you will never get back. This person also advised to seek joy in everything and never rely on others for your happiness. This is a motto that I continue to live by but need to be remined of every now and again.