They say today is the first day of the rest of your life. I agree. It always is the first day and a new beginning. Every day that we are allowed to live and see and breathe is a good day. I for one have had many challenges in my life but I have remained optimistic. And why not? What good does it do to be pessimistic? Each change in our lives is like a new chapter in our book. Hopefully each challenge will make us stronger and bring us some enlightenment into our lives.

Today a very close family member told me how she felt hate for someone who had brought her pain. The other person was the 2nd wife of her brother who kept him from her and the rest of his family until he became very sick then she wanted to be rid of him. That is when the opportunity for my friend, and the rest of the family, came to allow them to share with him how much they had missed him and loved him.

Unfortunately, he is so sick that his life expectancy is short. This saddened my family member so much that she feels guilty for her anger and hatred.

I have been away from this page for some time. The family member who was ill mentioned above has passed. It was not the way we expected but it was expected.

The other family member has been devastated by this lost since she also lost her father just one month before due to a short but painful terminal cancer. Now the family member, her only brother, also passed.

It has been a strange year this 2011.