It was 25 years ago. Every seat in the church was filled. But it wasn’t for a happy occasion. The coffin sat in the aisle by the front pews. Inside of it was my Mother. After a heroic 4 year battle Cancer had finally taken her body but not her spirit. She had only spent 55 years on this Earth but everyday she had made it a brighter place for those of us around her. I was only 25 years old that day of the funeral and I wasn’t sure how I was going to go on without her.

I can’t remember any of the service. I can only remember sitting in the pew with my family while it felt like a two ton rock was crushing my heart and soul. For days afterward I walked around numb and in a daze. Finally one morning I woke up coughing and having trouble breathing. My wife rushed me to the emergency room and the doctor diagnosed me with double pneumonia. My health had broken as well as my spirit.

In the days to come my body healed much faster than my heart and soul did. In a few weeks I was physically fine, but I still had a lot of grieving to do. It was a long process and a part of it still continues today. A part of us never completely heals from losing someone we love. I did learn many lessons and gained a lot of wisdom as I grieved. Sadly, one of the most important things I learned didn’t stick. I have had to relearn it time and time again in my life. I am praying that this lesson stays with me from now on and I won’t have to learn it again.

The lesson that I learned was that most of us don’t fully cherish or appreciate our lives here until a vital part of them is taken from us. We take things and people for granted. We go through our days rushed and stressed without gratitude or love. We don’t thank God for this glorious gift of life we have been given and for all of the loving people in it.

Don’t make the same mistake that I have made. Learn this lesson now. Take it into your soul. Make a home for it in your heart. Cherish today. Cherish each moment you have been given in this life. Let the people around you know just how much you love them. Let your Father in Heaven know just how thankful you are for the life and the love He has given you. If you do this then you too will make each day better and brighter for those around you and my Mom in Heaven will be smiling down on you.