We Never Know

The past few weeks have been rough, but through it all there were some bright spots, [like] receiving a surprise visit from a daughter and her son. When I asked her what brought them to Nashua, my daughter replied, “You.” My 4-year-old granddaughter brought me wildflowers on several days. And there was a day when I saw countless butterflies in my yard and garden. I had to smile as I watch them fluttering from one spot to another.

Because I was unable to make it to church for several Sundays, my son brought me Communion. His doing that helped me keep fighting or a return to good health.

When I lost my pet, Holly, a very thoughtful couple stopped by with a card. Quite a few times a friend came to see how I was doing and even brought me homemade soup.

Another friend called me almost daily to check on me. Those calls lifted my spirits every time. Now I’m on the mend and feeling better each day.

A few days ago I was watching a movie. One line from the lead male actor was, “The only regret you should ever have is making the wrong choice even though you knew deep down it was the wrong one to make.”

We all have choices to make. And if we make the wrong one, all we can do is try to make better ones and accept the responsibility for the choice we made. Blaming a person or a situation or circumstances doesn’t absolve us from making the wrong choice.

I had planned to attend the reunion for my high school graduation class. However, because I had started a new medication for my cancer, I felt it was better not to make the long trip to Iowa since I didn’t know what side effects I’d experience from the medication.

As it turned out, it was the right decision as I became ill -- not from the medication -- but from something else several days before the reunion was to take place.

When one of my classmates sent me a picture of another classmate, I felt like crying. The picture was of a classmate I had not seen since we graduated 55 years ago. But the good part of it all was that I got to see a picture of my classmate and learn that in the summer and early fall, he lives in a town close to where my brother is. So I will be able to contact him the next time I go to visit my brother.

We never know where our life’s path will lead us or what we will encounter on our journey. All we can do is work our way through the bad times, enjoy the good times to the fullest, try to help others wherever and however we can, and be the best person we can possibly be.