Spend Time

I have to seriously be grateful for having social networking for many reasons. It enables you to catch up on people you used to know, family from far away, news about weddings, pregnancies, deaths, promotions, great and terrible things. The main point is, it keeps you connected.

I have a family back East that I rarely get to see because they're my mom's family and I don't get to spend as much time (nor did I get to ever spend as much time) as a girl would like to with their mothers. This is where I'm thankful for social media such as Facebook because I'm able to find out news and still stay connected with my family out there.

Today, one of my younger cousins from Kentucky was taken from this Earth. My poor mamaw discovered him peacefuly gone in his bed this morning. Last time I saw him, I was in my teens and he was so young. Something I didn't know, was that we shared birthdays just 6 years apart. There is never anything good about losing someone in your life, even if you hardly knew them. You've now lost that ability to ever get to know that person. You try to look at the positives out of any situation and the positives in this are pleasant. Regardless of what you believe in, most of us feel that after death, you will be reunited with your loved ones. He is now able to be with his father, whom passed in August of 2006, and our papaw, whom passed in December of 2010.

It's unfortunate that some people have to have an extreme thing happen to them before they can learn a lesson, create a new way of thinking, or change who they are. A lot of people can take away something for any situation, and from this, I'm taking away something I've always believed in. Get to know those around you. Spend time with those you love and surround yourself with people that support you and will care for you. It's important to also be a person to provide care and support as well. Never assume you know exactly what's going on in someone else's life but take the time to listen if they need to talk. Being strong and positive all the time can be tiring on a soul, especially when you receive only negativity, but it's important to have that backbone and chin held up strong.

Live each day to the fullest, take any opportunity to try something new, keep on smiling, spend time with those you love, and keep moving forward.