Random Musings Part III

I have been struck so often lately with news of people’s health problems, some of them being very serious. Maybe it's because of me being 60 years of age, and a lot of them are very near or just post-retirement. It is so sad. It just reminds me of how much is really out of our control even with all of our medical and technical advances. A lot of these people did everything right. They ate right, exercised right, didn’t over drink, didn’t smoke, and yet they have something like stage four cancer, for instance. Health really is the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or how poor you are. Cancer is still cancer. You may get into a doctor quicker or maybe a better doctor, but you will still walk every step of the process and sit in waiting rooms, surgery rooms, and chemo rooms, just like everyone else. Sometimes I feel like life is a poker hand, and you don’t know all the cards until you see them . . . and you don’t get to pick them.  I have been so conscious since Bob's death to be sure to be present, happy, and grateful in the moment, and I think this just confirms that we all need to do that. Thanking the Lord every day for all the blessings that we have and telling all the people in our world how much we love them and how much they mean to us. I guess really that’s about all we've got - our words, actions, and attitudes.  And then we need to come alongside those going through trials and see how we can lighten their load. And if we become the one with the diagnosis, we need to deal with it to the best of our ability . . . with our chin up while still trying to find the good in every day.