GENERATIONAL LOVE

I'm so lucky to have my mother still living. She will be 82 in August and still is going strong. She walks 3 miles every day, mows her own lawn (with a riding mower), weed-eats manually, squats down and hand-weeds, and still is in great health. Growing up I never considered losing her and what it would mean to me. I just always figured she would be here for me. But she is the last remaining mother of all those who I was close to growing up.

This year, having lost so many people in my life, both friends and family, it has brought some things to mind that I don't want to forget: that life is so very, very short and that we should not hold grudges over things said (or not said) to us or about us. Also, that we should cherish each moment because it could be our last time to ever tell that person that we love them and needed them in our life.

Having just lost my Uncle on March 30 and still in the throes of memorials and cleaning his place, it makes me so happy that I did not hold a grudge against him for all the years in my formative years that he did not keep in touch with me. Instead, I picked up the phone and started a dialog with him...communication...and we talked almost every week on the phone. He spent some holidays with me sitting by bonfires, we celebrated Father's Day with him because he was my last remaining relative on my Father's side and the closest thing to a father that I had left, he visited me in my new home and was impressed and understood why I wanted to move.

Life is funny, isn't it? We think we have all the time in the world to connect with people and to tell them what they mean to us and in the blink of an eye, it can be over. I am lucky that I listened to my instincts and visited my Uncle twice in one day while he was at the hospital. That next morning, early, he made his transition.

And how lucky my granddaughters are to have their "GG" (great grandma) living so close to them. They only have to walk up a small hill to go visit her and we try to do that at least once a week or so. She loves her family dearly and has done so much for all of us and continues to do so. She sometimes tells me that she was not a very good mother, but can't we all say that? How many times have we each done or said something that we might be sorry for if that person were to leave this earth? Isn't it time to put hatred and anger to rest? Isn't it time to rejoice and be happy?

On this Sunday, this Earth Day, I send love to all I know and care for, virtual or not. I know that being kind to the earth and the environment starts with me and the way that I feel about people. I know that for me, having a sense of responsibility starts with the way that I treat others, myself, and the world around me. Things can change with just one person. I hope that I can make a difference by changing the way that I act and feel. And, I hope that if you are reading this, that you will accept and acknowledge what you mean to me. All of you are important to me. All life is important. And, remembering those who have gone before me, I cherish those moments that I spent gleaning knowledge, information, love, and respect.