Without Health, We have Nothing

I recently had the opportunity and privilege to spend time with my mother-in-law.  No I am not brown nosing, she is a formidable yet fun gal who has been through some recent health scares.  Last year she was diagnosed with bladder cancer.  She went through grueling chemo and before that she had arrhythmia. They had to stop her heart several times over a period of months.  Up until then, she played golf everyday and rode her bike around the island where she lives. When I saw her last, she had lost all of her hair and she was pale as paste.  Yet she still had her sparkle in her eye.  She and Dad came for a visit over fall break and she looked amazing.  She looked healthy, had a nice color to her skin and  had energy.  Tears came to my eyes when I realized that we will have more time with her. When we are young, we feel invincible and think that we can do anything.  Perhaps that is just as well, because look at what we accomplish in our youth.  Without all the failures and successes when we are young, we would not be the people we are now.  However, what we fail to remember, is to care for our bodies during these times.  Without our health we truly have nothing.  I am thankful for every day that I have and every moment spent with those I love.