Slapped In The Face

Reality really slapped me in the face today and I'm again realizing how short life really is. My ex-co worker and friend, Donna, announced today via a Facebook post that she has been diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer with metastasis to the liver. While that does sound horrible, she is optimistic that despite the long road ahead of her, she can beat this. I love Donna and I certainly hope she can. I found myself reading her post 3 times to myself to make sure I was reading it right and although I haven't seen Donna in a number of years, the tears rolled down my face for my dear sweet friend and the road she has ahead of her. Things like this don't happen to people like us and they certainly don't happen to good people like Donna. However, it's real and it's happening. My sister in law said it best tonight when I shared the news with her "we are at the age when these things start happening." I think I stopped breathing for just a moment when I heard those words but she's right. We're at the age that parents start dying, friends can get really sick and things start to go wrong. It was December 10th just a few years ago that Jacqui died and I'm still reeling from that loss. God, wherever you are, please guide Donna through this difficulty and help her find a way to heal and go on with her life. Her children and her new husband need her. This world needs her.