Sunday, December 21, 2008

hug a little tighter.

My Great-Grandma died today.

I didn't know her that well, honestly...but I know that what I did know of her was amazing.

She recently celebrated her 95th birthday, and she was fiery up until the end! I remember talking to her at my grandmother's kitchen table and listening to her tell a story about a boy that had lifted her over his shoulders and carried her up a set of stairs when she was about my age.

And let me tell you...she was as pissed off as if this 'shameful' event had taken place just the day before! She did an impression of how she had slapped him and her eyes narrowed as she remembered it.

Just this year she told her daughter she was thinking of getting married again=)

The last time I saw her, I had no inkling that it would be the last time I'd see her again. Maybe I'd have hugged her a little tighter or said goodbye more sincerely. Maybe I would have said 'I love you'.

I don't have regrets about my relationship with her, because I spent as much time as I could talking to her and getting to know her...

But things like this just get you thinking about the fragility of life. My great grandmother was very old...It is sad when an elderly person dies, but it can't be said that she didn't live a good, long life. However, death is hanging over us all the time. It's so easy to get caught up in all the small, petty things in life and forget that we ought to be making the most of every moment.

We ought not to be holding back. We ought to be letting our loved ones know just how loved they are...We ought to be seeing all the things we want to see, and doing all the things we want to do. We ought to be forgetting our insecurities and being the best we can be. We ought to be making our mark instead of letting life happen to us.

We are never guaranteed anything in this life. Every breath is a gift.

You never know for sure when you see someone that it won't be the last time you see them again.

So let go. Tell them how you feel...

And hug a little tighter.

1 comment:

Stephanie said...

Very inspiring words!

I know you'll miss your grandma and how wonderful that you did see her recently.