Look up to the Sky

Our Angels Look Upon Us Too

Ever since the tragic event of June, 1999, I try to look up into the sky at least once during the day and during the night.  You see, for the longest 46 hours of my life, I was held at gunpoint at work, along with a beloved colleague. When all was said and done, my friend was
killed before my eyes; and I had been shot six times.

Now, almost 12 years later, I have learned so many lessons in my recovery.  Many of these lessons have been taught  by people I have since worked with, who have been through their own traumatic experiences.  It is indeed humbling to witness the power of the human spirit.

I do not believe I ever appreciated the simple value of light, fresh air and the freedom to enjoy this, until it was taken away from me for those long and lonely hours. I remember almost gulping the fresh air in the few seconds that it took for the Trauma Team to transport me on a gurney from the scene to the chopper, like a drink of water to a parched man in a desert.

And today, when I look up, I am reminded of the beauty of my life and how grateful I am to be alive, despite my many imperfections,  as I had come so close to the face of death. I am reminded of how small I am in the grandeur of this whole world. I know that, even if my problems cannot be solved, that life will go on one way or another.  I have both loved and lost some very special people in my life. I am forever grateful at my wonderful memories of them that can never be taken away.

Looking up helps me be a little less hard on myself and others.  It reminds me of all that is good and worthy. It makes me so very glad that I have another day to try again.

I can only wish for you the very same. I know that sometimes it can seem as though there is no end in sight to the problems in life we must endure.  I also know there are not always easy answers.  Sometimes it just helps to know that others  "somewhere out there" understand  when we are looking up into the heavens.  This continues to bring me immeasurable comfort along life's way.   

"Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars..." (Henry Van Dyke)