[Kenna]

.....not to take life for granted...it can end so suddenly, leaving behind those you care about that didn't get a chance to say good bye. (when you hear completely unexpected news that a family member has passed away and left a 9 year old daughter behind... your heart just hurts for her because she didn't get to say good bye to Daddy.)

....the more wisdom I embrace, the more I realize I have made some really special, deep connections with incredibly important family members and special, close friends that I will never take for granted.

When I was younger, I once thought with dread that life was a chore that had to be tolerated in misery and I faced each day with the thought of "when is this crap going to end?".... I've lived a full 9 and a half lives in my years... today in my "old age" and wisdom, I realize life is a blessing and I want to spend it with the important people that are so very special to me, that I can't imagine life without them or the blessing to share our lives together.