Life is made up of moments: The moment you are born, the moment you hold your first child, the moment you meet the person you are going to spend the rest of your life, the big and small moments in life.
December 1986 was full of typical moments for me. I was a sophomore in college so I had finals to study for, we decorated our apartment for Christmas, we packed to go to San Antonio to visit my ex’s parents for the holidays, and we went to Granite for Christmas with my family. I didn’t know at the time that those were the last moments I’d have with my brother. The next time I would see him would be in the funeral home.
I think about all the missed moments now. The birthdays, the anniversaries, the holidays. I try to imagine what Bill would be like as a middle aged man. I wonder what our relationship would have been like as adults. But most of all, I regret those missed moments, those lost opportunities.
Let go of grudges, tell others you love them, live each moment as if it were your last. Because you never know when it could be over.
This post would not be complete without mentioning one last thing. The holidays are a tempting time to go out and party and “celebrate”. I’m not going to ask you not to do that. I am going to ask you to not get behind the wheel of a vehicle if you do. The smartest thing to do is to make a plan before you ever leave your house. Have a designated driver. Plan to spend the night where ever you are going. Stay home to celebrate. BUT if you find yourself in the middle of the night having drank too much (and even one drink is too much!!!!), then I am begging you: call someone! Will they be happy with you? Probably not. But they will get over it. They will not get over losing you.
December 1986 was full of typical moments for me. I was a sophomore in college so I had finals to study for, we decorated our apartment for Christmas, we packed to go to San Antonio to visit my ex’s parents for the holidays, and we went to Granite for Christmas with my family. I didn’t know at the time that those were the last moments I’d have with my brother. The next time I would see him would be in the funeral home.
I think about all the missed moments now. The birthdays, the anniversaries, the holidays. I try to imagine what Bill would be like as a middle aged man. I wonder what our relationship would have been like as adults. But most of all, I regret those missed moments, those lost opportunities.
Let go of grudges, tell others you love them, live each moment as if it were your last. Because you never know when it could be over.
This post would not be complete without mentioning one last thing. The holidays are a tempting time to go out and party and “celebrate”. I’m not going to ask you not to do that. I am going to ask you to not get behind the wheel of a vehicle if you do. The smartest thing to do is to make a plan before you ever leave your house. Have a designated driver. Plan to spend the night where ever you are going. Stay home to celebrate. BUT if you find yourself in the middle of the night having drank too much (and even one drink is too much!!!!), then I am begging you: call someone! Will they be happy with you? Probably not. But they will get over it. They will not get over losing you.
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