Life has a lot of twists and turns. Some are expected; however, many are not. Each morning we wake up not really knowing what the day will bring, and we go to bed unaware of what the night holds. I wonder how many times have I said to myself, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” OR “I’ll start tomorrow.”
But tomorrow isn’t always going to be an option. Often times we don’t look at life from that perspective, because we assume tomorrow is a given, but the reality is that one day, whether near or far, tomorrow will be too late. I don’t write this with the intent to sound negative. But I write this to help anyone reading to truly start living in today… and here’s why…
Life is fragile. It is precious. It is a gift. And it is fragile. It can be here one second and gone the next. Death has no mercy and knows no age, and sadly I’ve attended far more funerals for the young than I have the old.
I never thought the death of someone that I’ve never actually met face to face could affect me as deeply as someone that I’ve known for years, but last week I was proven wrong. Very wrong. Because last week the mommy blogging community lost one of its finest, Melissa Matters from Wading Through Motherhood. Melissa was 36 years young. She was married, she had two young children and she was a beautiful and gentle soul.
I’ve tried to sit down several times and write about how this loss has affected me, but tonight is the first time that I truly feel like I can put it into words. And the only way I can explain it is feeling like my favorite celebrity just died. Imagine someone you have admired, looked up to, followed, and who inspired you has passed away… A person who you truly felt like you knew even though you’ve never met them person, because their presence in the “spotlight” had a very genuine, positive and deep impact in your life.
You see in my eyes, Melissa was a blogging celebrity. Someone whose blog I always looked forward to reading, someone that I got excited when she’d comment on one of my blogs, someone I felt like I always connected with and someone that made me feel more like a “normal” mom. Her posts were always beautifully written, raw and honest. She had this way of being funny and sarcastic in the most sophisticated and classy way.
I keep visiting her blog feeling more and more saddened by the fact that I’ll never read a new post. It’s like knowing your favorite musician has died and you’ll never hear a new song from them. You know what I mean? Ugh… Then I think about her husband and two young children and I’m even more heartbroken. Who in the world would have thought that at 36 tomorrow wasn’t going to be an option? Probably no one, because we all live life assuming that tomorrow is a given. And it literally scares me every day that it’s not…
They say only the good die young, and in my experience with losing loved ones, this cliche holds true. Melissa was definitely a good one. I may not have met her face to face, but we were without a doubt friends through our blogs for over a year. I wish I had tomorrow to tell her how much she impacted me in such a positive way, but it’s too late; I’ll never have that opportunity. A tragic reminder that tomorrow isn’t always an option…
I have cried real tears, I feel a real sense of loss and my heart is broken…
My point here is to not only pay some sort of tribute to the amazing woman and mommy blogger behind Wading Through Motherhood, and if you haven’t ever read her blog, than you should. But I’m also urging anyone reading this to wake up each morning with the intent and determination to live for today.
Be grateful for your family and friends, and don’t hesitate to tell them how much you love them every single day.
Don’t go to bed angry.
Find forgiveness in your heart.
Don’t let the negativity of the world around you drown the love and beauty in your life.
Live for today like it is your last. Live it with love in your heart, happiness in your soul and courage and dignity in your mind.
Live for today like it is your last – and you’ll never regret what you didn’t do yesterday.