Family

Sometimes we get really busy in our lives, and forget to take the time to spend time with family and friends. We tend to feel like these people will always be there, no matter what, until they are gone. I was reminded of this recently as a friend of mine lost his grandmother. It got me thinking about things in my own life. Early in 2005 I lost my only remaining grandparent, my maternal grandmother. When I was young, she was always so strong, and not someone to back down from much of anything. She was a small woman physically, but to all of her grandchildren, she was always larger than life. I remember once, as a small child, when grandma was watching me and my brother, she was having trouble with a calf down at the barn. My brother, Dan, and I were watching from the upper level of the barn through a door or window down at the end. I guess the problem was that the calf was trying to nurse from a cow who was not it's mother (or a mother at all that year if I recall correctly) which could be problematic. Grandma was wrestling this calf from the cow it was going after and back to it's mother, and just as she'd get it there, it would turn and go back to the other cow, so she'd go back, grab it, and haul it back again. This went on for quite some time, and for anyone who doesn't know, calves can be difficult to move when they aren't willing, and grandma was over 60, and probably never weighed much over 100 pounds her whole life (except, I'm sure when she was pregnant with one of her 6 kids). After awhile she yelled at the cow, "Stay with your mother or I'm going to go get Paul!" (Paul was a man who lived up the road a little.) I looked at Dan and said, "The calf doesn't know who Paul is!" But lest you think I'm a genius or something, I added, "She needs to show it a picture of him!" I can't remember specifically, but from knowing grandma I'll tell you, she won.
Early in 2006 I lost my dad. He was in poor health most of my life, but even knowing this, I always felt that he was always going to be around, so while it wasn't really a surprise when he passed, it was still a shock. I miss talking to him, and still come across things that I wish I could discuss with him.
Thank God I still have my Mom, and hopefully will for a very long time. I guess this is the point that I was making, cherish the people that we have left. I wish I could spend more time with her, but that is hard since we live 1,000 miles apart. But even in this situation, you can maintain a good relationship, as long as you keep in touch, and think about the other person, and remember the things you want to tell them (well at least some of them, Mom and I both need to start keeping a list, but we do try). Of course, here I've been talking about parents and grandparents, and as we all know, family extends way beyond those, so don't forget all the rest either, because they won't be around forever either.