Daily Prompt- 1838 – Death

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I’ve always known that we each owe a death- that, eventually, death comes to us all. However, it never really hit home with me until 2005, when I lost both my father and maternal grandmother, both exactly ten weeks apart.

Up until that year, at the age of thirty-four, I was fortunate not to have lost anyone who was close to me. And I look back now and think that I might have taken things a little for granted before. The death of a loved one really puts things into perspective.

It has a way of changing our view. It reminds us to appreciate each day we’re giving and to show more love to the people we love. We must let our loved ones know how much we love and appreciate them each time we visit them or see them in the supermarket. For we never know when it could be the last time we ever get to talk to them.

Taking Life for Granted

When we’re young, we don’t take death as seriously as we should and don’t yet understand the finality of it. However,  as we age, and with each passing loved one, we look at this life a little differently.

The older we get, the closer we get to our own appointment with death. As such, we’re more grateful with each morning we rise. Speaking for myself personally, I have made a vow to stay away from drama and people who bring it. Life is too short to spend time with people who drain the oxygen out of the room.

Also, I make it a point to love hard the family I have left- my mother, aunts, the uncles I have left, and my siblings, husband and children.  I don’t know how many years I have left. The average lifespan for a woman is around 80 years old. Therefore, statistically speaking, I have about 28 years left if God allows. And I want to make the next 28 years, the best of my life.

But more importantly, I want to love and embrace my living family while they’re still here and to savor each day given me.

11 thoughts on “Daily Prompt- 1838 – Death

  1. Greg Dennison says:

    I’ve had grandparents on both sides who had unusually long lives. I lost my last grandparent a month ago. I know I’m fortunate to have had grandparents in my life for so long; I’m 46, he was 100.
    We weren’t all that close, and he lived in another state; my grandma on the other side passed away when she was also 100 and I was 44, so that one affected me a lot more. Still, though, it definitely feels like the end of an era.

    I’ve been thinking about dying lately sometimes… probably not in a good way. Wondering how, or if, I’ll be remembered, and if I’ve wasted my life…

    • cheriewhite says:

      I completely understand, Greg! I lost my paternal grandmother when I was 42. My grandmothers were the only grandparents I was close to (one grandfather died before I was born and the other moved away after a divorce). And no, I don’t think you’ve wasted your life, Greg. You’re have a good purpose here. But yes, when my last grandma died, it was like the end of an Era for me as well.

  2. Pure Glory says:

    We do not know how long we have to live. Making the most of each moment is important. My mother passed when I was age 9 from a car accident with a drunk driver. That and other deaths made me aware of how short life is. But I do not always make the best use of each day. I am grateful for today!!!

  3. 80smetalman says:

    Since men statistically don’t live as long as women, that means I have less than 18 years left. While I am secretly preparing for the end, I am not thinking that much about it. I do want to enjoy the life I have left but the loss of each friend or family member and even rock star is a reminder of my own mortality. Still, as always Cherie, you give great advice and I too steer clear of those who suck the air out of a room.

    • cheriewhite says:

      Thank you, Michael! And I’m the same way. I’ve lost many family and friends. Many iconic rock stars of our time have passed and I also think about my own coming death. It’s sobering to say the least.

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