A Life Lesson

It was a beautiful, picture perfect day in May. Cirrus clouds accented the pale blue Saturday sky. I was amazed how lively seven year-old Chris was in the backseat of the Town & Country minivan, teasing his baby sister, making her giggle and squeal with delight.

It was hard to believe just two weeks ago our world was knocked of it's axis, when this adventurous little boy fell off a 20 ft. ledge in the back yard. I had flash backs every waking moment for a week, head over heels I watched him dive to the rocks below...I saw his father break the cardinal rule of First Aid and scoop his young son from the ground, unconscious, head falling back lifeless, eyes rolled back in his head.

An eternity passed between the 911 call and the arrival of the ambulance. Time warp into a fuzzy dream at that moment -- he gained consciousness, screaming and crying every time I reached for him. His father the only comforter here. "That's one very lucky boy," the ER doctor marveled as he examined the cat scan results. Chris escaped with a mild concussion and a small bruise.

Two weeks later, we were headed to Owl's Head, a peninsula on the Maine coast where Chris' best bud Nick lived with my dear friend (his mom) Missy. As we pulled up the long driveway, the Stevens clan gathered on the porch, Missy, eight year old Nick, and two year old Noah. Nick was the complete opposite of Chris -- big for his age Nick towered over the other third graders, donned sun-kissed blond waves, and soaked in the world through sparkling blue eyes. Chris took after his Spanish father with dark brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin. A munchkin by any measure he struggled to stay at 5% on the pediatrician's growth chart.

The boys spent the day collecting ants, ladybugs, and pretty much anything that crawled. I recanted the events of the past two weeks -- I didn't have anyone to talk with and it felt great to see my old friend again. We shook our heads, unable to believe how lucky we were that Chris was fine. Russ, Missy's husband joined us for a moment, he stared at the novice bug collectors and said in a barely audable voice, "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to the boys." Those words have been burned into my memory forever.
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The next day, while retrieving an umbrella from the car for his mother, Nick tripped and fell. He never regained consciousness. February 12, 1991 - June 11, 1999.

Although Nick's life was lost in a senseless, inexplicable moment; the generosity of his parents' saved the life of of another little girl hundreds of miles away. Rachel received Nick's heart -- she is looking forward to going to the prom and will be graduating high school soon.

This was a turning point in my life. Appreciate every minute of every day. Tell your children you love them, and better yet -- show them. Life is too short to put anything off until tomorrow.