What I Learned Wednesday - Life is Short, Make the Most of It
Join the fun, post what you learned this week, and link up below. The code for the image is located in my sidebar. All I ask is you link back to this post. Oh, and make sure you link to your post and not your blog in general, okay?This week I took my 16 year old daughter to get her driver's license. Let me explain. In Virginia the kids can get their learner's permit when they are 15 1/2 years old. Once they turn 16 years and 3 months they can get their 180-day license (they must wait 9 months from the date of receiving their learner's until they may get their 180-day license). This is a piece of paper they carry along with their learner's permit until they receive notice from the court to pick up their permanent license. Today we arrived at the courthouse promptly and took our seats and waited.
About a year and a half ago I did this very same thing with my oldest child (now 18). So, I knew what to expect although this time seemed to go by a bit faster. The sheriff's officer reminds us to turn off our cell phones. If it rings, whether it be parent or child, the child will not get their license, so sorry. Next, the judge enters and says a few words. Then the state trooper does his spiel on safety belts, zero-tolerance for alcohol, curfew, cell phone rules, etc. And then the part that always gets to me - the video.
Back in June 2006 a co-worker of mine was in a fatal car accident. She was a few weeks shy of her 20th birthday and a few days shy of her 1 year out of high school. It is believed she fell asleep at the wheel. Alcohol did play some role in this as her and another girl were partying the night before. Additionally, she was not wearing her seat belt. The passenger walked away with a few scratches and appears in court each time licenses are issued to tell her story. The video is a tribute to Melissa's life, and death. And I cry every time I see it.
My oldest child is 2 years younger than Melissa was when she died. I can not imagine having only two more years of memories. I have no idea of how her family must feel. I do know what it is like to miss someone because they died at an early age, but losing a child is different. And it is one feeling I hope to never have first hand.
Life is short. Spend time with those you love. Do not let hate or negativity take hold of you. Take time for the little things. And make the most of each and every day. I know I will.
What have you learned this week? Grab the button from my sidebar, then add a link to your post below using MckLinky. Not sure how to link up? Leave a comment or send me an email (or both) and I will happily walk you through it.
