Alive

In my rear view mirror this afternoon I saw an elderly couple in the car behind me - wife driving and husband seated beside. As I sat waiting for the light to change, my eyes fixed on the woman. Her head was bouncing slightly, back and forth, consistently. Could it be that she was rocking out while her husband sat staring forward, numb by years of experiencing her childlike enthusiasm? The light turned green, and as I looked back one last time her head continued to shake...

My aunt passed away last week from breast cancer, and at the service Saturday I had a chance to see over a hundred people who respected and were touched by her love. A great deal of her life was spent with the American Red Cross training people how to save lives. Karen devoted her life to giving all she had to everyone around her. The beauty of immeasurable things like love, positivity and support is that they are abundant once you have them. Better yet, the more you give the more you get. I listened to story after story, witnessed love and admiration pour out of strangers' eyes while sharing stories written between themselves & Karen. Her joyful energy was in everyone. It is clear that she is still giving to all of us despite her no longer being physically here. We shed tears of joy for having been blessed with her presence. Saturday was a celebration requiring us to have the time of our lives, for Karen, and we did. At the end of the long day, I lie in bed smiling, humbled over the realization:

I fly with the stars in the skies
I am no longer trying to survive
I believe that life is a prize
But to live doesn't mean you're alive.

We won't always have tomorrow, but we always have today. I will more than enjoy today. I will squeeze every ounce of life out of it. For myself, and for everyone who cannot. I will fill that blank page with a true story of magic, adventure, love, friendship, excitement. Moments people not just long to read about, but yearn to experience. Page by page, day by day, I will try to make it more than what it is.