Day 13 was a very personal day, as I spent the day with my Uncle Frank and Aunt Debbie. Frank is mom’s youngest brother and they have lived in Colorado for as long as I can remember. I have some GREAT memories of my parents and me in Vail for Christmas and mom would always tell a great story about Frank barreling down the mountain w/ his son (Cory) tucked under his arm so mom could babysit and Frank could hit the back country.
My mom’s side of the family has been ravaged by cancer. Not only did it claim my mom, it’s claimed 2 of my 5 uncles as well. My grandfather, who has since passed away, lost 1/2 of his children to cancer before he passed away. Those are some pretty depressing numbers. Numbers that Frank took to heart.
I’ve always been close to Frank and Debbie; we’ve always clicked. As I’ve gotten older and am not just a ‘little nephew’ anymore, they have been a source of great conversations, advice and wisdom. As a matter of fact, on more than 1 occasion they’ve been my sounding board for career based decisions and helped guide me in the right direction (which they may not have known, but now they do!). At my Uncle Richard’s funeral, Frank and I had a poignent conversation.
He took inventory of his life and saw all of the blessings that he had, a great wife, great kids, great friends, etc… and vowed that he wouldn’t take those things for granted. He wanted to make sure that those he loved knew he loved them. That he saw the things he wanted to see and did the things he wanted to do. He wanted to ensure that he lived each day to it’s fullest.
We call that cliche. We scoff at it. We take it for granted. We wake up and go about our lives and every once in a while, when something out of the ordinary happens, we take a moment, pause, and realize how lucky we are to be alive. Why do we wait for something to happen for us to realize that?
Frank didn’t want to wait, he wanted to take control. He wanted to take the negatives in his life that were caused because of cancer and turn them into positives. He wanted to replace negative connections with positive ones. And he’s done just that. And I’ve never seen him looking better, happier, or ‘fuller’ in all the time that I’ve known him.
Frank and Debbie, thanks for an amazing day in Denver, I had a GREAT time, but, more importantly, thanks for serving as a reminder. Carpe diem.