The Most Precious Gift

2 months ago, our family lost one of the most beautiful blessings the Universe has ever sent into our lives. Remembering the loss of someone so special makes me again realize how much we waste our time on trivial things when we should be focusing our time and energy on things that are genuinely important to us.

Time is something we can never get back. With a world so full of anxiety, uneasiness, misery and uncertainty, we are often sidetracked and forget the things that are really precious to us. How many of us spend our energy on meager and unimportant things like grudges and negativity? Perhaps there are relationships and areas in your life that need to be corrected and repaired, but it's not on your priority list. Appreciating and treasuring people around you is perhaps the greatest gift you can give to the world and to yourself.

I've had my share of relationships to repair as I'm certainly not without fault. Situations in my life have belted me so hard they've knocked the wind out of my sail. At times, I sincerely thought I would never recover. These are the situations and circumstances in my life that have quietly triggered and nudged me to stop and listen to my inner voice. We all have that "gut" feeling that is constantly trying to get our attention to do what we already know in our hearts is the right thing to do. Listening to and acting on our instincts will never steer us wrong. It will eventually make us emerge a much stronger person...but only if we listen.

Our family was devastated when we lost our Dad to cancer in 1994. My Mom had lost the only man she ever loved and my siblings and I lost our Hero. Little did we realize at the time, 4 years later our family would be immensely blessed with the most tender loving man...a Masterpiece. Because my Mom held on to her faith, listened to her inner voice and followed her instincts, she was led to Jack, 2000 miles away...and found genuine love again. If Jack were still with us, he would tell you "the miracle" of how they met...undoubtedly, it would melt your heart.

Often times we are in such a hurry in life that we miss the point of it all. We weren't put on this earth to hurry, worry, cling to negativity or hold grudges. We are all here for the same reason. We were born to reach out to one another, to lend a hand in times of need, and to make each and every person we encounter in our daily lives feel special.

Jack taught me so many life lessons during his years with our family. He was humble and unassuming. In 13 years, I never heard him say a negative word about anyone or anything. Even in Jack's last 2 years when he had to rely on everyone around him to tend to his needs, he was grateful. He could have so easily been angry that life was serving him with a slow deteriorating disease that would eventually take him from us...yet he never was. Jack always referred back to the good things life had given him. Many times, he would reiterate how blessed he was that he had been given the gift of many years and that by some unknown miracle...he had found true love again with my Mom.

Identify those things in your life that are precious and important and be grateful. Grasp and hold on to the people in your life that matter to you and let them know that you love them. Forgive those who hurt you. Apologize when you're wrong.  Focus on what you have in this moment today. Life holds so many blessings and beautiful little wonders...

Appreciate those around you because feeling appreciated is one of the most important needs people have. Always remember, someone's tomorrow can be taken away today...and time is one of the most precious gifts you can never get back.

Forever grateful and blessed for the gift of Jack,

Anne Theriault