Dying Man’s Daily Journal – An example of how to LIVE

Can’t seem to quite shake the after effects of the pneumonia/chest infection. I feel better for a few days and then it seems to come roaring back. I seem to be making progress though as each time that it does return it seems to be less severe than the time before. It must be close to 2 months that I have had this and it does start to wear on you after a while.

I am sure we have all this happen to us. Every once in a while we run into a person that we find to be inspirational. I don’t have the words to describe how many of my friends here on the blog have been like that for me, inspirational. I am humbled and so very grateful for you contributions to my life.

I want to share part of the story of one lady with whom I have had the privilege of exchanging emails. Now I always make it a practice of asking permission before I share anything received via email, that is private. She has given me permission to share any parts of her messages which I will be doing. Her over all story I do not have permission to share and will there for keep her identity anonymous.  My friend though, I am certain you will be reading this and I hope you will feel encouraged to respond by sharing some of your vast wisdom and knowledge here on the blog.

Man this is tough, I am actually trying to write a post instead of just sitting down and rambling away. Finding the words, geesh, rambling sure is a lot easier.

I first met this lady through a comment she left here on the blog months back. That first post was almost difficult to read as through her words the pain was so real it was like I could feel it myself. As much as I can when I get a message like this, I try my best to respond on the blog but also send an email, which I did. She honored me with a reply and so began our email friendship/relationship. She lives so far away, on a different continent we both know we will never meet in person, but that doesn’t matter. Being able to openly and honestly share thoughts and feelings with another human being is what is important.

She is in the final stages of a long loosing battle with cancer.. Let’s just say we know her time is limited and she is well aware of that.

I think it is fair to say and very understandably so, she was really struggling. Her husband has passed, their only child has passed. Tragically, she is a young woman and facing this alone. When we first met, I think it was the alone part that was the most difficult for her to deal with at that time. Now notice I said she honored me with a reply to my email, I mean that when I say honored me. So sadly it seems, it is only when we get to this point in our lives that we come to realize how precious every day, every hour, every minute of our time is. That she would choose to spend some of her precious time with me, a stranger, is an honor. Some time we just chat about anything and everything. Other times we talk about the realities and the difficulties of our situations. She has shared with me the difficulties of the chemo and radiation treatments, the pain, the total lack of enegy, nausea and always feeling cold.

One of the primary focuses of my blog is to encourage people to live their lives. We don’t want to die so obviously that means we want to keep living our lives. Yet are we? Are we living or are we just enduring waiting to die? Think about it in your own life.

I say that and I believe that and want to live my life to the very best I can. It is a struggle and it can be so up lifting when I see someone actually doing that. My dear freind has gone from struggling to living, making the best of what she has. She is really living life in the best way she can. Life can sometimes through us a curve ball that we can’t control. What we can control is how we deal with it. How is she dealing with it, a few weeks ago she went hot air ballooning. Last week she began cooking classes.

I am not sure what more to say than I am humbled. Can we somehow take her shining example and use it in our own lives.