weekly post from June 23, 2007

Hello friends & loved ones,

It's a chilly 50 degrees in Western, NY this morning and the sun is shining brightly. The new movie Evan Almighty, a modern day retelling of Noah and his ark, with Steve Carell opens this weekend and while I think Carell is hilarious I have all the animals I need right here in the country. Of course we have our dog and our three cats (including one outside cat who has adopted us). We also have the numerous birds, chipmunks, squirrels (or as Jim and I call them tree rats; I don't like them one bit), and deer. In the past couple of weeks we've also seen raccoons, a raven and of course the nightly light show put on by the fireflies (my personal fav). All of the negative things about living in the country are wiped right out by the above. It makes me glad to be alive and want to cherish my life and live for today.

Speaking of living for today, if you've ever questioned doing that or how fragile life is then wait until you hear two stories that really affected me this past week. The first one involves a 16-year-old girl who was on a Superman Tower of Power ride at Six Flags in Louisville, Ky. In a freak accident, a cable on the ride came loose and somehow got under the car (it's a free fall ride) and hit the girl in the legs and severed both of them (I believe the report said it was just above the ankles). Unbelievable. Granted this doesn't happen everyday but just the thought that one is going along on a ride and, boom!, part of the body is just gone.

The other story involves a 24-year-old man in California. A driver in a car swerved to miss something sharp in the road (something many of us have probably done and it doesn't even have to be a sharp object) and the car ended up hitting a fire hydrant and knocked it loose from its moorings. The fire hydrant became airborne and hit a 24-year-old male in the back of the head. He was walking down the street with his wife. Boom! Gone just like that. Another freak accident, yes, but one that I listened to and realized that it really can happen anytime and anywhere.

So whatever you are doing this weekend please live life to the fullest. Laugh, love, smile, appreciate the beauty around you and hug or kiss someone you love or care about and tell them you love them. You never know when your life might change....or worse.

Stay safe, stay happy, and stay healthy.

love,

paul