Gratitude

I just received an email from one of my oldest friends, my first friend in kindergarten, and while we're not close in a day-to-day kind of way anymore, we try to stay on top of each other's major life events.

She was writing to tell me that one of our grade school classmates passed away this week after a battle with cancer. Janna was not someone I've kept in touch with, but I certainly remember her. I remember her as being preternaturally poised and adult, considering that I knew her when we were in grades 1-8. Like me, she transferred out of our town's school system for high school, and that's the last I'd known or really cared about her whereabouts.

Turns out, she's been a teacher for eight years, after getting her degree, and leaves a husband behind. And, like me, she turned 30 this year.

The news put a little cloud over my day, and while it would be untruthful of me to say that I'll miss her, or mourn her passing in a personal way, I guess I just hope for the best for her family. Her death makes me grateful for everything and everyone in my life, so her life touches mine in passing.

Be grateful for all you have today.