A few days ago I wrote about the benefit of bringing a new family member into the fold, and how it shifts our thinking and way of doing things in such a way as to welcome that new member.
I also wrote about how we have to take our community members with what they bring, quirks and all, as a community is only as good as how all members are treated, and the methods we use to bring everyone on board.
Thursday night I received a call from my wife (I had been up in Albany for a regional gathering since Wednesday). She was crying and I could hear my kids screaming in the background. Our recently welcomed pet, Sunshine, had died.
The shock of hearing that prevented me from thinking clearly. I asked, “Are you sure?” To which my wife replied, “Really?”
Once it had registered, I spoke to my kids about it for a bit, and we all talked about how much we had come to enjoy Sunshine’s company, even in the short week he was in our family. It made me think about how precious life is, how quickly it can end, and how unknown anyone’s time is.
It also helped reiterate for me the importance of bringing as many people on board as we can, and making sure that all in our community feel great every day; life can be too short for anything less.
The sad part about Sunshine dying so quickly was the loss of life and family that we all feel. The interesting realization for all of us, though, was just how much a life can impact each of us and how quickly, if we welcome that life for all that it is, and all that it can bring.