"Life happens when you're busy making other plans."

This spring/summer has been one of the busiest I've ever had. A new job, lots of travel, and reunions with friends have prevented me from knowing my head from my behind on most days. I can't complain, though. Some of the people I've seen in the last few weeks I haven't seen in years. It's such a beautiful thing. It's even more beautiful, because when "life happens", it puts things into perspective, such as how important the people and memories in our life actually are.

Exactly two weeks ago I blogged about the refuge I received at the beach and the concern I had regarding Alfredo's tumor. Well, just as I also referred to the glass being half full/empty in my previous post, there's more good and bad news to share. The good great spectacular news is that Alfredo's tumor appears to be benign, according to the pathology report. Although the veterinarian put my mind at ease, I chose to sign him up for surgery as soon as I could. The date was set for June 11th.

Then, June 9th came. There are certain moments in our life that stick in our minds and may continue to haunt us when the news is bad. Such is the case when I received news outside of Maggiano's, putting a birthday celebration to stop dead in its tracks. Nanee, mom's mom, wasn't in good health, and although she was placed in hospice just a few days prior, she was fading, fast.

Nanee passed away the following morning, which for good reason, has now put a hold on other things, including Alfredo's surgery which has been rescheduled for two weeks from now. As a result, I'll be headed back to the motherland next Tuesday, and again, will see family members whom I haven't seen in years. As difficult as death is, I look forward to seeing family, and I'm sure glad my grandmother no longer has to suffer. The consequences of a severe stroke, combined with the advanced stages of Alzheimer's, is certainly no quality of life and is difficult to observe of a person you love. The American culture might accept a great pair of legs, chiseled abs, a fit butt, or perky boobs as a person's greatest asset, but who really are we as humans without a brilliant, functioning mind?  

All I can really say now is that I'm grateful for my friends, my family, my health, my dog, and all of my wonderful memories. Sometimes life happens, shaking up our daily routine. There's one thing that's certain, though. It is also incredibly precious...and just too, too short.