You Never Can Tell.

My reason for smiling today, is sort of laced with something very sad, but all the same something very very eyeopening.


By chance, I happened to come across a book earlier which out of curiosity I downloaded and began to read, I am still reading it, but already it has made me cry on so many occasions, and I think it deserves sharing.


The book is called, "Notes Left Behind" and it is almost like a journal from parents who's daughter has a brain tumour. The daughter is called Elena and she is 6. Now the fact that she suffers with this brain tumour is bad enough, it's heart wrenching to read about her treatment (though she is incredibly brave through it all), but when she finds out she is going to die, she writes notes to her family and leaves them in various places around the house for them to find when she is gone. 


I know you're thinking how on earth is this a reason to smile? Well I guess I'm trying to tell you, when you put your children to bed tonight, hug them that little bit tighter and for that little bit longer. Read them the bigger story, and do all the funny voices and interact with them while you read it. Make going out to the shop like an adventure for them. Make them laugh and let them enjoy their childhood, because the reality is that you never know when it's going to end. Elena's parents didn't get to see her pass her driving test, or get married, or have children or even pass her GCSEs. Last week a young boy in my school died after being in a coma for nine days following being knocked off his bike by a car. He was 14. You can't ever tell when these things are going to strike, so you have to make the most of the time you have here.


The reality is, we all die at some point. Nobody can live forever. Some, like Elena and the young boy from my school, die far too young, but I wouldn't say they die having not lived. They lived, maybe not as long as they should have done and not as long as is fair, but they lived. And my reason for smiling today is that you never know if you are living your last day, and if you knew it was your last day you'd want to go out with a bang right? You'd want to laugh and smile and remember all the good times?


Please smile. Never leave the house on an argument. If you argue with someone, before you leave the house go back up to them, hug them and make up, because you just never know. I said my reason today was laced with sadness, because it always is horrible when someone dies, but that's not a reason not to live, I don't think the dead would want us to remember them in grief and sadness forever, I think they'd want us to remember their happier times, when they were carefree and smiling and laughing, I know that's what I'd want for my family.


Keep smiling.
Love, Tutti-Frutti.
xxx