Observations On Life…
Sep 23rd, 2008 by justsimplyholly
Over this past week I’ve asked myself many times why life seems so unfair? Why is it that a young person with their entire life ahead of them was taken from his loved ones so suddenly? But the fact of the matter is that it’s simply a fact of life. Whether we want to or not, all of us will eventually die. We can’t fight it, nor can we deny it. When death comes knocking on our door, it’s our turn to go, whether we like it or not.
So, rather than writing a post that focuses on how sad I am over the death of my nephew, or how losing him has affected my life, I decided that I’d write a blog post about some very important things that I’ve learned over the past week, things that I think each and every person really needs to consider doing!
- Never take a moment for granted, cherish each and every moment of life
- Never assume that the person you love will walk back through the door, make sure when they walk out the door that the last thing you say to them is something that lets them know how much they mean to you
- If they call you after you walk out the door, don’t end the call with words of anger, end the call saying I love you. Do you really want to take the risk that the last words your loved one heard from you were words of anger?
- TAKE PICTURES!! Make sure to take the time to not only take pictures of the important people in your life, but also make sure YOU are included in those pictures! When they’re gone it won’t matter how you looked or what you were wearing, the only thing that will matter is that you can hold a picture of you with them. And don’t take one picture, TAKE HUNDREDS! There is no such thing as enough pictures of them when they are gone!
- Take the time to make sure that your loved ones know where important papers that pertain to your life are! When they are grieving, their minds aren’t clear enough to remember where you put your life insurance policy, your bank statements or what your social security number is, and they’ll need your social security number for many things from almost the moment that they are notified of your death
- Take the time, as soon as you can, to make sure you have a will! If you don’t, all of your possessions will have to be put through probate, which can often cause undo grief for your family
- Also take the time to sign a living will making sure that your loved ones know where it is and what your position on it is in case they are put into a position to decide whether or not to have you put on life support
I will never proclaim to be an expert on anything in life, other than being REALLY good at putting off until tomorrow what I should do today….LOL! But I know that if my nephew had done some of the above things, it would have been a teensy tiny bit easier on his family. I also know, without a doubt, that EVERY member of his family as well as every one of his friends, wishes like hell that they’d have taken the time to take more pictures! That in itself was a life learning lesson for all of us! So I would just like to say take what you can take from this list and leave what you think you need to leave, but they are all things that I have learned are important, and things I’ve already started doing! 
29 Responses to “Observations On Life…”
#4 is the one that I agree with most. Although I am horrible with taking the camera with me everywhere, pictures are an amazing things. When a person is far away from you or gone forever, you still have those pictures of them.
I love pictures.
nhuong’s last blog post..Top 7 Ways to Spend $700 Billion Dollars Instead of Bailing out Financial Firms
Very well thought out list Holly.
What you said about the photos has got me thinking. I avoid being in photos because I hate seeing my own face. I will endevour to tolerate cameras from now on.
Ferox’s last blog post..Through the Emergency Room
I couldn’t agree more on all the things you’ve listed down Holly. The same thoughts I had when my mother passed away 5 years ago. Even today, sometimes I simply cannot believe that she is really,really gone. Wished that I had taken more time to tell her how much I cared and regretting that I didn’t take enough photos with her as you said. It’s a different feeling I know, to look at photos of her alone and photos of her with me in it.
Sultana (Syari)’s last blog post..Pill cases with alarms.
Very very nice post, and so very true, life sometimes is short, too damn short and we should cherish every second.
Excellent list! I’m half tempted to print it out and frame it!
Owen’s last blog post..Getting started with social media
This is all great advice, I wish we had more pictures of me, my sister and my father, luckily an aunt paid for us to get professionals done a year before he passed. Even though we knew he was sick, we just are not prepared for him to be gone.
Holly’s last blog post..Invest In Your Health
Well said. My hubby passed away 10 1/2 months ago. We are not totally young…. but still mopping up and dealing with estate stuff. It is good to get your ducks in a row. My children and I made a pact to put together an emergency file and share copies of important papers. I don’t want my kids to go through what I did. It is bad enough losing someone you love.
Christina thecoffeelady’s last blog post..It happened again!
Sage advice. I am rarely in pictures since I take most of them. I never gave it a thought. Now I will.
windyridge’s last blog post..By: kouji
The first two are especially important. You just don’t know.
gina’s last blog post..Review: Fringe Episode 1-3
great list…definitely things that we take for granted and need to remember to do more of.
cady’s last blog post..I’ve Had a Bad Day
I believe that everything happens for a reason and that sometimes I won’t always know the reason.
You made a great list that we should all live by.
Lisa’s last blog post..Mismatched outfits . . .Oh my!
Hi Holly.
First time to your piece of the world here.
Nice list. It’s so true that none of us are promised tomorrow. We simply need to be ready and all of the thoughts you’ve expressed in your list are certainly part of that process.
Knowing the right Person, I believe, needs to be the first thing on the list!
Thanks for sharing.
Brad’s last blog post..Inhale! Now Exhale! Hold It! Now, Off To The Carwash!
You know I never really sat down to think about these things. I guess it forces me to look at my own mortality. I mean, I hate even remotely considering loosing my wife so I cannot imagine what losing my own life would be like for those around me who care about me.
I know my dad was writing a will recently and that made me think. Just like your post.
Stomphoof’s last blog post..Fiddlers Green
Your post is so true! We tend to think ‘oh I’ll get to that later and then later comes and it’s too late! And it’s true about being in the pictures and not just taking them. So sorry about your nephew! Thanks for sharing a piece of your world with us!
Your FL furiends,
Samantha & Mr. Tigger’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday with Samantha and Mr. Tigger
Wills and Living Wills can NOT be stressed enough. I know that legal documents both scare and intimidate people, but there’s a great web company (with whom I have ZERO association) called LegalZoom.com that makes preparation of these documents both cheap and easy.
Check them out TODAY!
Aahz’s last blog post..I’m Now A Silver AMPlifier for Free Talk Live!
4. I hate my picture taken. This bothers people. Maybe i should loosen up?
HoundsGood’s last blog post..Don’t Forget Your Gear When You Saddle Up
I have been meaning to make a will for years but it is so easy toi not get around to it.
I commend you that in your time of grief, you are thinking of others. You have given us all a good guide to follow.
Karen’s last blog post..Be Prepared
I’m amazed that you have your act together enough to write this. If I were in your shoes I wouldn’t be able to put two words together. So thank you for taking the time and effort to do this.
All important advice and true for us no matter our age. Don’t leave a mess for those left behind who are grieving.
Connie’s last blog post..Halloween Party Store Costumes
Great post Holly. Life is short and you have to make each day count.
Jules’s last blog post..Weekly Deal on Buy.com
We can all be here today and gone tomorrow.
Thanks for taking the time to be my friend, dear Holly. *hugs*
mistipurple’s last blog post..Onward bloggie soldiers
Lovely post Holly. Thanks for the reminder that our time here is precious
Heather in Beautiful BC’s last blog post..I Love Social Bookmarking!
All the things that we take for granted are important and feeling grateful for them is the most anyone can do. Too bad we have to be reminded of how precious every moment is through the sad events like someone’s death… Thanks for sharing, Holly.
A gentle reminder to us all.
Thanks for this post, Holly.
mistipurple’s last blog post..Potency of Words
Great post Holly! Thanks for the advice!
Owen’s last blog post..It’s just water ..
I think I commented on this one the last time around, but nice post.
Brad’s last blog post..Thank You, Again, President George Bush!
great reminder.
I was over at legalzoom.com (which I recommended in an earlier comment) and discovered that you can actually save 10% off your order if you use the coupon code FTL. So there goes your last excuse. Make that will TODAY>
aahz’s last blog post..I’m Now A Silver AMPlifier for Free Talk Live!