The Secrets to a Good Life (as Learned from Lori)

Today would have been my sister-in-law Lori’s 51st birthday. She was that person you knew who was always full of life, always laughing, creating, joking, happy. She loved to play pranks on her friends, to decorate and remodel homes, to plan. She was an amazing photographer, wife, mother, sister and friend. What I loved most about Lori was her attitude. She always saw the bright side of things. She didn’t harbor regret or bad feelings toward others, never held a grudge, but truly understood that life was meant to be lived. She was one of the rare ones.

Losing Lori was a reminder that life is precious. We are all subjected to this message in our lives, and it can change the way we view life for a moment, for eternity, or somewhere in between. It is how you let it affect you that counts. When things are going well for us we don’t tend to dwell on the “what if’s,” but when we hit a bumpy spot in the road we react – it is how we react that can change the course of our lives.

Here is what I learned from Lori:

* If you are bored, paint the walls and rearrange the furniture.

* If you don’t have a lot of money to spend on traveling, plan where you will go once you do.

* If you need a change, cut your hair.

* If you want to do something/be something/go somewhere and cannot, dream.

* (My favorite) No matter how hard life becomes, laugh.

Nothing in life should be so  hard as to make us want to quit or give up, because, as Lori truly understood, life is what you make it. We create it as we go, and she sure did, up until the last minute. I love you, Lori.