Cherish It All...It Goes So Fast

Yesterday we went to see a friend of ours who last year at this time was living a normal life.  Well, fairly normal.  She had developed an allergy she thought and was making some visits to the doctor to determine what was going on.  Long story short...Thanksgiving came and went, Christmas came and went, and she just wasn't responding to meds and she wasn't feeling a whole lot better.  Sparing some detail, a couple of months later she was diagnosed with stomach, lung, and liver cancer!  She is 34.  Never smoked, done drugs, and rarely drank.  Y'all, I must repeat, she is 34!  It breaks my heart.  Well, she is off of chemo, the cancer is growing quickly, and she will not make it to Christmas.  She might not make it to Thanksgiving.

So anyway, her family had a get together yesterday for everyone to hang out and visit with her.  We were invited.  Of course, we wanted to go.  Our friend really wanted to see the kids and yet I wasn't sure I was ready for my kids to see her.  I wasn't sure what I wanted to say to them...how would I explain...what would the kids want to know...could I explain.

We hadn't seen her in months mostly due to her not feeling well when we made plans.  So, I wasn't sure what to do.  We told the boys that she still wasn't feeling well and that she might just be sitting on the couch just like they do when they are not feeling well.  They accepted that and didn't really ask anymore about it. We told Bebe that she was very sick with a kind of cancer that isn't easily cured.  Bebe knows what cancer is and that some forms are worse than others in terms of treating.  She was the one I worried about the most.  She seemed concerned and she had asked whether she would die.  I told her that I didn't know (a little white lie), but that that was up to God and if she did she was going to the greatest place forever.  Bebe seemed to be okay with that, but before we left she had an idea for a gift that I thought was SO SWEET.

We had some ladybugs all around our shed yesterday.  The kids had been playing outside all day.  Before we left Bebe came running in asking for a small jar to catch ladybugs.  I told her no, just let the ladybugs be because they were such good bugs.  But then she said, but I want to catch them as a present for our friend, they're good luck you know.  I quickly relented.  She came running back in with the jar.  Her daddy had punched holes in the shape of her initials in the top. BB.  Bebe was so proud.  She announced, "Look Mama, there's 4 in there.  Once wish of luck from each of us".

Oh. My. Heart!

Friends, life is short.  My friend was fine a year ago.  Diagnosed 6 months ago and fighting to stay alive through the holidays.  As I get into the busy-ness that is the holiday season I am going to try to keep her in mind even more. Cherish it all...it goes so fast.