Heart Attacks!

Has your heart ever attacked you?

Sadly, I learned late yesterday that a friend of ours, a very young man, suffered a serious heart attack yesterday and is in serious condition in an out of town hospital. Please pray for him and his family.

I couldn't sleep tonight, thoughts of Brandon and his ordeal, thoughts of how my life will be changed while my parents have moved away temporarily, and other thoughts of love and valentines day were swirling through my head. I usually get up and watch tv. Tonight, however, I got up and did an email update for any word on Brandon's condition and then I got on my shoes and went for a drive. I NEVER do that. In fact, I cannot remember EVER doing that. But there was something in me that needed the open road, the breeze and some loud music in order to organize my thoughts.

Somewhere down the road the thought came to me that we have all suffered a heart attack in some way if we have been lucky enough to love someone deeply. Maybe not so much in the parental love sense, or the love we feel for our best friends, but more so in the area of romantic love.

You know, there you were just going about your life, working, playing, dreaming, hoping, and suddenly, out of nowhere, you met someone who caused your figurative heart to stutter, to clamp up, shut down, beat faster, to knock you to your knees and break you out into a sweat.

I have been there and I am sure if you are above the age of eighteen and reading this, you have too. I am lucky that I found love early in life, and then again as a slightly older, maybe wiser adult. Both times my heart was attacked. I sensed a distinctive change in the way I felt, the way I viewed life, the way I dreamed and hoped for the future. Both times marked my life.

Today is Valentine's Day .... a day to express your love for the one that "attacked" your heart, to be kind, considerate of feelings, speak softly, be generous with compliments and your time. Hallmark and all the other retailers want you to buy cards, and teddy bears and balloons. Florist want you to send flowers and jewelry stores want you to buy a big, fat diamond!

But you know, I think it is more important to just quietly let those around you know that you love them. Give a hug, a kiss, an extra helping of their favorite food or sit quietly and hold a hand. Maybe for one day overlook their most annoying qualities and then try and see if you can do it all again tomorrow, February 15th! And the day after, and the day after that! Love should be gentle, it might start out with a heart "attack" but true love lasts through that and remains.

Wishing everyone a happy Valentine's Day! I hope you get to spend some quality time with the one you love. I know I am lucky to have been able to do just that - and I don't take a moment for granted.

Living Happily In the Moment!

Beverly