"Life"
April 2007

Life.

It is so very precious.

The headlines in our local paper the last few days have reminded me of this.

I was moved to tears yesterday when viewing the photograph on the front page. It showed the mother of Master Sgt Sean Michael Thomas. She was placing her hand on his coffin. He was only 33 years old. Sean was a father to his 6 month old baby girl, Alexa and a husband to his wife, Carrie. They should have celebrated their first wedding anniversary yesterday.

Today I was stunned to read about Jodi Barone. I have known Jodi for a long time; long before she became a stylist, a wife, or a mother. I hired her to teach Step Aerobics at East Coast Health and Fitness. She quickly became one of the most popular instructors. Jodi was famous for her grueling workouts and infectious personality. I will always remember the light in her eyes and the positive energy that radiated from within her. She was very beautiful; inside and out. I cannot believe she is gone.

I haven’t written in awhile. The last time I wrote was nearly 6 months ago. It was labeled “Time”. The following is a paragraph from within “Time” that speaks true to me today.

Tomorrow, November 1, is All Saints Day.  A day to celebrate the glories of heaven and those there.  Consequently, November 2 is All Souls Day.  It is a day set aside since the Middle Ages to remember and respect the souls of all friends and loved ones who have passed before us.  It is also a day to remind ourselves to live holy and fulfilling lives. 

I recently had a conversation with some friends who were concerned over what would be written in their own obituary. They believed they “haven’t done enough” and that their lives wouldn’t warrant a glowing review by their peers. I assured them that they have done more than enough. I am confident that they would be shocked to learn how many people they have touched in their lives.

In the Williamsport Sun Gazette, an obituary for Master Sgt Sean Thomas stated the following:

Sean was an energetic person who enjoyed life. He had a special way of making others smile. He liked the outdoors and playing sports. He loved his family and spending time with his friends.

What else is more important than this? He enjoyed life. He loved and was loved. He also fought for his country and was an outstanding and dearly loved member of his community. I was told that a local hardware store donated 2 freezers for the family because of the huge outpouring of donated food. More than 1000 people were present for the viewing.

I currently don’t have any details about Jodi’s services, but I am sure that there will be a huge outpouring of love and support for her family and for her beautiful daughter. I am deeply saddened to think that her little girl will never get to know her Mommy or her Dad. The tragic events surrounding Jodi’s death is more than disturbing. To die at the mercy of someone you loved is unfathomable. Domestic violence is real. Anyone who trivializes it or thinks that it can’t happen to them or someone they know or love is mistaken.

A song by Rosie Thomas keeps playing in my head today. I can’t help but to think of Jodi when listening to it. Here are a few verses.

I envision her dancing in heaven………. watching over her daughter, and her family…….. free from the stress and worries of this life.

Life.

It is so very precious.

My friend, Chris, tags all of her emails with this quote: “Life is a gift; that is why it is called the present”. I like this. I also like what Dave Matthews sings: “The future is no place to place your better days”.

I have a magnet on my refrigerator that reads:

Dance
(as though no one is watching)
Love
(as though you have never been hurt before)
Sing
(as though no one can hear you)
Live
(as though Heaven is on earth)

I challenge you to try to live by these simple rules. I do okay with the singing and dancing. I’m still working on the loving. And the living.

Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.  ~James Thurber


Michelle

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