hug your kids

Yesterday, as I was driving home after picking the kids up, I got a phone call from a dear friend of mine.  What I thought was going to be a fun catch-up call turned into a very sad one.  She told me that she has cancer; some type of lymphoma and they aren't quite sure where all it has spread too.  Over the next few weeks she has to undergo a battery of tests and procedures so that her doctors can find out where the cancer is and what their next steps need to be.  I wanted to jump through the phone and hug her.  After our conversation ended I went in the house and told Jake what was going on but didn't even get to finish talking to him about it because one of the kids needed something.  The rest of our night progressed as normal and it wasn't until everyone else was in bed that I was able to really think about how strange that whole evening had been.  Here was a very important person in my life having to deal with an unthinkable situation while simultaneously, my life was moving along just as it always does.  I'm not sure what I quite felt about all of that other than how grateful I was that I told my kids "I love you" before bed and that I made sure to say it to my family members the last time we talked.  People always say this but it's so true...time flies and life is fragile.  So, anyone out there reading this (if anyone is reading this) hug your kids and hold them a little longer, kiss your spouse, tell your loved ones what they mean to you, be thankful for your health and the health of your family and pray for those that aren't.  And to my dear friend...I love you, I am thinking of you and I am here for you.