LOVE YOUR FAMILY. CHERISH YOUR LIFE. NEVER GIVE UP

For those of you who know me, know that I love to speak and write. For those of you who know me, know that I speak from the heart. For those of you who knew my grandma, knew that she was a fighter. That she would never give up, and that the most important thing to her of all was her family and grandchildren. Last night this all came to an end, but created a new beginning. While at my grandparents house yesterday, I experienced something that I never had before. I experience something, that once I almost experienced upon myself. Death.  While at my grandmas house for Sunday dinner, my grandmother Salce, suffered a heart attack in front of most of her immediate family and grandchildren.  Was it fate? Was it ironic? Maybe so. Was it fate, because my uncle Kenny who is a doctor that lives in Flagstaff, had the gut feeling to be in town this weekend to see my grandma and grandpa. Was it weird she had told my uncle just last week that an angel came to get her in her sleep? She told the angel no, she needed more time! Was it ironic that Kenny was there to give her CPR when she collapsed in front of all of us.  Was it fate, because the night before my uncle Kenny and I were commenting on my grandmother’s incredible will to live for so long. Is it weird that it was on 10/10/10? My grandmother had so much she wanted to live for. Her grandson walking again, her 60th wedding anniversary, seeing the cure of diabetes for her other grandson, another one of her grand kids to get married. To watch her grand kids sorting events, or recitals, or band competitions, graduate from high school and college. Was it her time? Maybe it was fate, maybe it was destiny. Whatever the reason may be, whatever the reason it happened in the way it happened, I can only begin to think it was the way my grandmother wanted to go. In front of all of the people she loved, her way of saying goodbye. Do you think things happen for a reason? How does somebody have that much control over their body, and what is going to happen next? She literally had so much control of what may happen, that she waited until everyone was there. Your power of mind will determine how far you want to go, how hard you wanna push. Why was she so unselfish, why did everybody come before her? She was the one struggling, dependent upon oxygen. Her life stood in the balance of every breath she took, anyone could’ve been her last. For seven years, after being diagnosed with lung disease, she struggled with every breath she took. Fought as hard as she could, just to see another day, filled with all the loved ones in her life. Why did she have such a great knack for laying that positive guilt upon you. That guilt that showed you she still cared enough to want and come and see her, without giving you the guilt you haven’t already. She simply wanted to surround yourself with the people she loved.  Gosh she was stubborn, she never took no for an answer and nothing stood in her way. Then there is her other half, her oxygen in itself, my grandfather. Her rock! One of the simple reasons, my grandmother was around as long as she was. Do you find it odd that 75 year olds were still in love. Maybe this says something about the chemistry, the fact that they were together for almost 60 years. My grandmother will always be here, she will always be on my mind and in my heart. There will be remnants of her everywhere.  The wheelchair that I sit in everyday, a chair that she was almost dependent upon in the later years of her life. The Be Perfect bracelet that I wear every day, a bracelet that she wore proudly. The beautiful butterfly on the sidelines at one of her grandchildren sporting events, will symbolize her simply spectating and cheering as she always did. How much will do you have? How much fight do you have within you? Can you keep pushing? Or when times get tough for you to let it knock you down? I do to get back up after you’ve been punchedin the teeth, got the wind knocked out of you, lost your breath, and were gasping for air.  these were the simple struggles my grandmother dealt with on a daily basis, and she kept getting back up, she keptpushing forward. One step at a time. This is my grandma, my life, part of my motivation and certainly now more than ever. If you can take one thing out of this blog it’s that you should love your family and hold them near and dear to your heart and to cherish your life.Value every second you spend with them because they could merely be your last.  I still have an amazing family in my life, amazing friends, amazing cousins, uncles, aunts, relatives,  parents, brothers and sisters, and most of all three other amazing living grandparents, that I love more than anything in this world. Needless to say I wouldn’t be here without any of these people, but I wouldn’t be who I am without my grandparents, I love them. In the blink of an eye, a heart can fail, an accident can happen, and someone can be gone forever. Would you have anything left unsaid? did you say everything you possibly wanted to for one last time to that person? Did you tell them you love them, what they meant to you? Why do things like this have to happen, for us to realize we should be saying these things all the time to the people we love? In a split second, my life changed. In a split second, my family’s life changed. In a split second, my grandmother’s life changed. In a split second, your life can change. It’s your choice. How will you react what happens next, to what’s thrown at you? Our biggest fear is what will happen next. Are you ready? Don’t be afraid, it’s your time now.  Now for those of you who didn’t know the type of person I am, and how I express myself and live my life. Now you know. For those of you who didn’t know my grandmother Salce, you just a little glimpse of the amazing person and grandmother she was, and now you know she always wanted the best for everybody, and for me to walk again. I am more confident now more than ever, that my circumstance in my life of sitting in a chair everyday will change. I have an angel looking down upon me, that wants my goal and dream even more than I do, and if that’s not motivation that I don’t know what is.  I love you grandma. WE WILL WALK AGAIN! RIP. Pray for her, as i know she will be looking down upon you doing the same. Be Perfect…..
STELLA SALCE- 1/21/33-10/10/10
S-STOP
T-THINK
E-ENJOY
L-LOVE
L-LEARN
A-ACCEPT/ ANGEL