There are days that you remember because they have a long-lasting effect on your life.  I certainly have many of these.  Some days serve to remind me of those moments when my life changed so dramatically that it could never be the same again.

What had been my life was over and what was coming next was unknown and unpredictable. The experience I identified as my life was shattered into a million pieces, and no matter how they were put back together, they would never be the same. They would never fit snugly.

What was I going to do? But what about the day before? The day before, my life changed forever. Before the accident. Before we told the truth. Before she left. Before the death. Before………

I remember having several days where my life ended as I knew it, and the scars are going to be carried inside for the rest of my life.  Those painful moments are seared into my memory, and their story has become a part of my inner and outer story.  I have remembered them more than I care to admit and still feel a dull pain of regret and longing for the past.   It is strange, but I remember the days before with as much clarity as to the traumatic events themselves. I had no idea that I would never be the same.

I remember that I worked out that day. If I had known it would be my last, I would have probably commemorated it more but got my work done and then went home.  I remember hurrying to mow the lawn before it rained because there was a storm coming. I got half of the backyard done before it rained. I had no idea I would never finish that lawn for the rest of the summer.

As the rain started to fall and the thunder rolled in the distance, warning of the foul weather to come, I had no clue that in many ways, it would never be clear skies again for years to come.  I remember watching the rain from my back porch and thinking of the small, boring things I had to do tomorrow, the next week, the next month.   What to eat? What to watch on television? What to do in two weeks? The futility and foolishness of those thoughts could only be revealed by the

What to eat? What to watch on television? What I “needed” to accomplish? The futility and foolishness of those thoughts could only be revealed by the wisdom or folly of the days coming unforeseen in my future.  The day before my life, as I knew it ended, I had no idea of what was coming.  I think that is what they mean when they say ignorance is bliss. 

I am sure that is how most people feel on the day before your life changes forever. A regular day of “normal” thought that will unexpectedly be interrupted by the devastation of the storm to come, unlooked-for and out of nowhere.  I am not sure if they are meant to last as a memory of peace or one of torture.

I hope that you have never met this kind of tragedy and that your life is full of happy days that you truly enjoy. There is a part of me that will always warn you, though; Beware of the calm sea because often there is a tempest waiting under the surface, simply waiting for the right time to alter your life forever.

Know that no matter how devastated you are or how many changes you undergo, there is still hope. I hope that you will be stronger and can put your life back together again.

I hope that the pain of the current circumstance will sharpen your talents and wits to the fine sharp edge needed to accomplish great things. It can build your confidence back up again after a fall and allow you to rise higher than was previously possible.

Hope is the light of the future, and it allows all people not only to seek but to find retribution in your life. It allows you to take the next step forward when all you want to do is quit. Don’t quit, or you will never know what you are capable of contributing.

Know that each day, there is something to be grateful for and to enjoy. So enjoy it because you never know what will come tomorrow.