PERSPECTIVE

Cat Stevens and I have had our issues. Mainly about censorship. That battle is put aside today in favor of using this song to make a point. These words are simple but wise. Think things are bad?  

My recent car woes have preoccupied most of my thoughts.  How to get around this mess... get my life on track again.  Solution and action.  I pace, I think, I try out ideas and obsess.  I tell myself that at least I am staying positive and moving forward. Then a different reality came to land on me first thing this morning.  I am thankful it does not much belong to me.  My part here is tiny.  Nothing really.

I work with a wonderful woman who is by marriage part of my grand daughter's mother's family.  That makes her in my head, part of my family.  We work together in her class everyday and get along very well.  She is a strong support for me in my job and otherwise.  She is a positive support for my Sookie in a sometimes crazy life.

Today she told me a story that gave me a strong sense of what is important in life.  

Most of us have breathed a sigh of relief that the swine flu has passes us by unscathed.  Not much of a threat after all, we think... so what was the big deal?

Sookie has an aunt that is very young.  She has been married about a year to a sweet young man who contracted the swine flu.  This lead to heart damage, an emergency heart operation that was not successful.  It was decided that he would require a heart transplant to save his life.  He was put on a list.  Last night his heart failed and he was rushed into the hospital.  The news this morning is that he cannot survive long enough for a transplant.  He is dying as you read this.  He is twenty years old.  He was as healthy as any twenty year old man a matter of weeks ago. 

You get the point, I'm sure.  If nothing else today, be thankful.