Awareness (article) by Helen C. Downey on AuthorsDen

Be aware of those whom you keep in contact with. Keep them close in thought and call them or write often. You don't need to find out they are gone in a Christmas Card. Awareness I know that one should be more aware of their surroundings all the time. What I mean to say is may seem a bit trivial, but once thought about it will make you feel ashamed. One’s surroundings are more than just the physical things around us. It’s the caring of others and knowing that they are doing fine and are healthy. We function month after month and go about our chores of daily living working to survive in this world. We forget to call grandma whom we promised to call regularly. How long has it been since we called our brother or sister? Work, work, work…what more is there to do in life? Last February I received a telephone call that grandma passed away. I cried because I never did make it over to the nursing home to see her. I did manage to call her often, the last time being two weeks before she passed on. Her last words to me were, "You promised to come to see me." I wrote out my usual list of cards for Christmas this year. I received a card from a friend’s son saying that his father had passed eight months prior. I never knew that. How could I, we only exchange Christmas letters. Still the feeling of letting him down did not evade my heart. I always tried to keep in touch with my family and friends as best I could. Sometimes we do get wrapped up in worldly things to prevent us from letting us tend to our sheep. Sure we could make a list of those whom we should call frequently, but more than likely we will stack debris on top of that list, only to find it next year when we go to make out our Christmas list. A greeting card was received from an elderly aunt. She proceeded to scribble a short note about not being able to find my address or telephone number in October. She lost one of her twin grandsons in a head on collision with a drunken driver. Why wasn’t I informed earlier? Well I am sure she couldn’t read the telephone numbers correctly or even think straight from the moment she heard the news about her grandson’s demise. The things we learn in a Christmas card I thought were suppose to be good news. But this is the time of year we most communicate in and remember to call all those we promised…just to find out they left us. What I learned is that I better keep my promises and call my family and friends more often. I might as well make a list and tape it to the wall; at least debris can’t get on top of it. It sure hurts when you find out someone is gone and we can’t go back to see them. I’m making my list now. HCD 12/2006
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