Make It Count

You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. ~Gandhi

That quote really represents what I was trying to express in my last post. Only so much more eloquently. And I believe that, with all my heart I believe that.

It doesn't, however, make the events of last week any easier. The Boston bombing, the West explosion, the anniversary of the OKC bombing. So much loss.

And last week I was informed of the deaths of two of my students. Two in one week. I've worked in these programs for 10 years and I've never lost a student so it was shocking. The events surrounding the deaths are especially troubling - one was violently murdered and there is a mystery surrounding the nature of death for the other. This is especially troubling because this student had a long history of domestic abuse so I fear her end was just as horrific.  It's always, always difficult but to end in such a violent way...it's really hard for me to get over.

I don't know if it's just because I'm getting older but it seems like each day I grow more and more aware of how short our time really is.  The last few months it seems there have been a series of losses- back to back we've all gone through it. My FIL, the next month a friend lost his mother and then this past weekend my hubby was out of town to attend the funeral of a friend who lost his sister.

It was a rough week.

So I used the weekend to fill my life with fun and memories and goodness. I needed a break from all things somber and sad.  Girl time, parades & carnivals, and a lot of time laughing. Not to forget the sadness but to remember the lessons it brings - make every day count.