Most all of us can name at least one big life-changing event that has occurred to either define, change and/or mark certain points in our lives. For me, there are three.
First, without a doubt, would be the birth of our daughter, Taylor. Becky and I were well into our 30's when we had Taylor, having spent the first five years of our marriage traveling, starting and stopping new jobs, moving, etc. I seriously cannot remember what my life was like in the years before she was born, as it seemed my life suddenly had direction and purpose; to make sure I was the best provider, not only monetarily or materially, but with guidance, knowledge, respect and tolerance, but mostly with unbounded love. While Becky and I will be the first to admit we are not the perfect parents, we can say that every lesson we have taught her, or every guidance we have nudged her toward, was always done with love. Honestly, to try and remember what life was like before being a parent, even before being married, is difficult to recall. Which leads me to the next event.
Secondly, was the day I was married. I moved around a lot after school, from one city to the next, trying different positions and different jobs altogether. I even spent an entire year living in Florida pretty much a beach bum! Yet, even lounging in a chair by the pool or ocean in Clearwater, or tripping the midnight hours at bars and dance clubs in Atlanta, even those drinking nights with friends in Nashville, there was still a hole in my life that could not be filled. My Dad gave a great piece of advice on Thanksgiving as I was home to visit, saying "Son, rolling stones gather no moss. Pick a spot and plant some roots"! His direct way of telling me to grow up! Becky and I had dated before I moved away (in full disclosure, in a moment of extreme immaturity, I packed and moved in the middle of the night after she said the "L" word, which scared the living hell out of me!) It took another five years for me to come to my senses, come back home and marry the girl I was supposed to marry all along. Now, nearly 34 years later, I still remember looking into her eyes that cool rainy November evening, in front of several hundred friends and family, and pledged my heart and soul to her forever.
Lastly, the day is rapidly approaching my third biggest life event; celebrating my five-year cancer remission anniversary. Most cancer patients know how important that five-year survival date is, and I have termed November 7th as my re-Birthday (sort of goes with the whole premise of My Repurposed Self!) My journey through cancer has been witnessed by many of you, thankfully encouraging me to fight, praying for my deliverance from this disease. After initially being told by three separate medical teams (I just did not want to accept what was happening) that what I had was not only very rare, but extremely difficult to beat with less than a 5% chance of survival, and very little research available on how to even try and extend what little time they were giving me; 6-12 months. We all entertain that scenario where a doctor tells you to go home and put your affairs in order, and what things on your bucket list are possible with the time you have left. But, by the grace of God, a lot of prayers and positive people to surround and support Becky,,Taylor and me, and some incredibly talented medical professionals, here I stand on the precipice of what seemed an impossible goal. I still have problems trying to understand why I was spared when so many I fought with did not survive, so many good people who were taken from us all way too early. I can only try to honor them, their families and the courage they showed by helping others. Which is one of the reasons we started My Repurposed Self; as a vehicle to raise funding for various groups from the sales of repurposed and reclaimed materials.
So, there you have my biggest days. Which are yours? I understand one very important lesson I have learned through all of this thing called "Life" and that is to never miss an opportunity to share with those in your life who mean so very much to you, the love, honor and respect you have for them. And most importantly, living does not mean waiting to the end to come up with a bucket list of things you wanted to do. In the end, if you have been filling that bucket all along with love, memories, laughter, and experiences, you'll find you won't have a need to rush out and find a bucket at all.
Blessings and peace in your hearts!
JD
Comments