The Toothpaste on My Sweater

I've been contemplating the things that really matter (and don't matter) today. The half dozen times I've instinctively reached up to cover my mouth as I think of some very pressing matters, I have felt something sticky on my sweater. It took me all day to look down and realize it was the remnants of toothpaste from this morning.

Several very important people in my life are close to cancer--it's either in their bodies or about to destroy someone they are deeply connected to. Two stories of this have come suddenly this week. And not one of the involved parties is "old" by the standards of our current life expectancy in this country.

I'm left with an incredible impression of how brave my friends are, of how stoically they are enduring the unknown. Even if death is imminent, there are questions of when it will happen, who will take care of those who remain, and how accommodations will be made or paid for. I am truly reminded tonight that I am grateful for good health, for a support network of family around me, and for the chance to serve by helping friends even in small ways. I'm hoping to do it justice and continue to ask myself, "What would I want and need from those around me?"

I'm also really, really sure that the toothpaste on my sweater doesn't matter, along with the tons of unimportant details I obsess about each day. Hopefully, with the full impact of so many who are being courageous in their challenges, it will firmly stick that I need to remain appreciative for the big moments and the small ones, hopeful in all things, and less concerned with the silliness I often fret over. You should too.