So…

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time
to clean the house and mop the floors.

 

The preceding verse was part of an email message that I received this morning.  I was reminded of a friend I had when my daughter was in high school. 
Her name was Mary Jo and she and her family lived across the street from me.  Mary Jo’s husband was the football coach and Driver’s Ed teacher at our local high school.  He was dearly loved by faculty and students alike. They had two children, Troy and Toni.  They were actually misnamed because Troy was the spitting image of his dad (Tony) and Toni was blond haired and blue eyed like her mother.  Toni was 2 years old and had a cyst come on her forehead which required major surgery.  I helped by caring for her brother at this time.

I loved those kids.  At that time in my life I was obsessed with keeping my house spotless.  No special reason as it won’t make a tiddleypoop worth of difference in 100 years.  When I would visit with Mary Jo in her home I was amazed at how she managed her children and her house.  Her house was clean but a bit untidy.  I would often catch her sitting on the floor reading a book to her children while there were dishes to do in the sink.  Mary Jo was diabetic and her children were precious to her.  She had these children against the advice of her doctor

Her husband got a better job at a larger high school in Springfield and they moved away.  I was busy working a full time job and we only sporadically kept in touch. 

Tony died at age 39 of pancreatitis.  He was diagnosed, hospitalized and died 2 weeks later.  Jim and I went to the visitation and it was heartbreaking.

The years passed and their son Troy graduated from University and his first coaching job was as coach in my little town.  Talk about déjà when one day I opened the front door and there was my dear friend Mary Jo. She had come to help her son move into his new home, and that was how I heard the news.  I was able to visit with Mary Jo each time she came to town to visit her son.

And, the moral of this true story, is to live each day to the fullest, don’t be afraid to tell family and friends how special they are to you and trust in God to guide you in your future.

Beth