Life... something that we often take for granted

How often it is that we take life for granted, living each day selfishly -- thinking only about ourselves, our dreams, our wants, etc. Not many of us stop to appreciate the fact that we are breathing, thinking, being alive.

Then something sobering happens once in awhile, to jolt us out of our complacence, to remind us that life is a precious gift from God. And that we should really, really look at what is important to us -- family, friends, simple beautiful things, nature, the world around us, etc.

This sobering event just happenend on Tuesday -- my friend's 2 day old newborn baby died :~(. Seeing my friend and his wife mourn the loss of their child caused me to instinctively hug my daughter closer, kiss her another time, hold her hand longer. To celebrate the fact that she is here with me. Whatever problems, troubles of the day pale in comparison when put in the proper perspective. Who cares if you missed your deadline? Who cares if you made a mistake at work? At the end of the day, we should not lose sight of what is truly important.

Now, I just hope and pray that my friend, his wife & their extended family members would be able to come to terms with their loss and start the healing process as soon as they are done mourning. Life is too precious to be spent on the nitty gritty.

I am thankful that I woke up this morning to the rising sun, to breathe the air of a new day, to be given a chance to live another day on earth; a chance that my friend's baby was not given.

A recent song by Tim McGraw -- Live Like You're Dying comes to mind:
I went skydiving
I went Rocky mountain climbing
I went two point seven seconds on a bull name Fu Man Chu
And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I gave forgiveness I’d been denyin’
And he said some day I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dying