first blog post.........=)

This week, actually today, June 18th marks the fourth anniversary of a HORRIBLE car accident that killed four people in Parker, Colorado. One of those people who died was my cousin, Sean. Actually, he was more like a little brother to me, and on Monday, the 16th he would have turned 21. I could not help but to think of how he would have spent that day, whether he was here or not, it was an overcast, rainy day, much like it was the day of the accident. I asked his mom and brother and a few of his friends if they knew how he would have celebrated that day. He had just turned 17 when he was killed, but I was sure that he had thought about that day, and had made some plans. The most prevalent answer was that he would have spent it celebrating his new-found freedom, and probably would have been in Las Vegas with some friends, experiencing the bars and casinos there. Unfortunately, he did not get to live out that plan, but did get to go to Las Vegas when he was 14, but, because he was afraid of heights, he didn’t even go on the roller coasters at Circus Circus, and probably wouldn’t have, even at over six feet tall and two hundred something pounds at 21.
I watched the movie, “The Bucket List” with his brother on Sean’s birthday, and he asked me a couple of times what my “Bucket List” would consist of, and I had a few ideas, but nothing too extensive at that time. With such an anniversary here for me, and thinking of what my brother did not get to experience……..entering his senior year, graduating high school, maybe riding a roller coaster………what would he have listed on his “Bucket List”? What will I include on my “Bucket List”? What would you include on your “Bucket List” if you knew when you would no longer be with us? It’s times like this that we realize and put into perspective the many things and people that we take for granted each day, month, year, and throughout our lives……….so, if tomorrow were your last day, what would you wish that you would have done, or who would you wish that you would have spent more time with? Work, school, cleaning, all of those tasks seem so trivial in the grand scheme of things………..take today to DO SOMETHING THAT REALLY MATTERS TO YOU OR FOR SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT, BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW, THE NEXT TIME THAT THEY WALK OUT THAT DOOR, OR YOU HANG UP THAT PHONE OR CLOSE YOUR EYES, IT COULD BE YOUR LAST!!!! Take time to smell the roses, listen to the birds sing, or a babbling brook, and ALWAYS, ALWAYS TELL THE ONES THAT YOU LOVE……”I LOVE YOU!!!” The month of June is very emotional for me and my family, because we have lost several members of our family in this month; my Grandmother, one year ago on the 27th, my mother 13 years ago on the 28th and Seanie 4 years ago on the 19th , so it is a time of tribute, revelation and contemplation for me, and I just THINK, THINK, THINK (in the words of the great Pooh-Bear) about life, people, and if I’m living my life the best that I can.
So, what is on YOUR BUCKET LIST? Make it realistic, or fantasy, but make it true, because in the end, that’s what matters!!! What do you want people to remember about you, or, what do you want to do? Even if it SCARES YOU!!!! And take a couple of hours to watch the movie, it is a WONDERFUL movie just to get you started!!!!