Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my cousin Abby, who passed in March of cancer. This time last year we were getting back from a last-minute family vacation to Disney. The group of 15 of us pulled it off because Abby wanted to go. I didn’t know if my husband and I could make it work but we did.
This past weekend, I wanted to make the most of it since summer is winding down. On Saturday, we planned to go to the zoo. However, when I started thinking about the 2 1/2 hour round trip drive, I thought maybe we should leave it for next year when both boys would be bigger and able to enjoy it.
Then, I realized next year is a long time away. Why wait for a whole year to pass by? Why not enjoy the zoo and life with my little guys in the stages they are now? And so, that’s what we did. We went to the zoo and we had a lot of fun, all four of us.
On Sunday, we went to a water park. Again, I had my doubts at the outset. I thought the kids would not really enjoy it since they can’t go on most of the rides. But we went anyway and once again, we all had a blast. The kids section was pretty extensive, Seb loved the wave pool and sand by our cabana, and Raf enjoyed the nice breeze — the cold water, not so much. It was a good mix of fun and relaxation for everyone.
This was all a reminder that life is meant to be lived now. Not later, not tomorrow, not next year. That’s why we have quite a jam packed fall of fun coming up. We’ve decided really recently to head on a tropical vacation because why not? We could all use it.
Abby’s passing reminded me that life is wild ride that sadly is not limitless— we all have a limited number of days and there will unfortunately be an end for each of us. On the flip side of that, she taught me to make the most of the time we do have. She sure did.
We all should, too.
(We miss you, Abby.)
