Live like you were dying.

“He said: "I was in my early forties,

"With a lot of life before me,

"An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.

"I spent most of the next days,

"Looking at the x-rays,

"An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time."

I asked him when it sank in,

That this might really be the real end?

How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?

Man whatcha do?

An' he said: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,

"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.

"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,

"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."

An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,

"To live like you were dyin'."

-Tim McGraw

Normally I would not include lyrics this long from a song, but as we near the end of “Snap. Shot.” I really thought it was fitting to leave off with a song that means, has meant, so much to me.

This song is a perfect example of life as I knew it, and now life as I know it. Sure we all get in out ruts, but when we see a different pathway, do we take it or just go with the flow? For so long I went with the flow and I am very glad I did. Why? Because as the lyrics above state, “I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter” and best of all, I learned “to live like you were dying.”

I have hurt a lot of people over time as I have made some very difficult decisions; hurting is not an attribute I am too terribly proud of, but as I look back, I think we have all come full circle. Some of the people I hurt I am friends with again---some who I did not hurt, I am no longer in contact with. I wish I was---but then again, this is life.

If there was one single person I could thank for standing by me when I wrote this goofy blog during the past year, it would be my wife Susan. She actually understood what daily writing did for me. Not many people could possibly understand it…she did. I love her for understanding who I am, and what I need as a person to express myself. She reads me very well. Too well at times.

I have heard from many people who have let me know they read “Snap. Shot.”---not everyday, but consistently. That’s just amazing---when I started I had no idea anyone would ever read it. Thank you very much for coming on this road with me.

The photo above is perfect for today’s blog. Taken on the day we said goodbye to my Mom, we set out to a park near the home where I grew up. We had every member of our family there---and together as we shed tears over the loss of my Mom, we all knew we had to continue on and “live our lives like we were dying.” We miss you Mom.

Thanks for stopping by.