I was speaking with an old friend recently, and by old I mean, I met her thirteen years ago. She called to tell me that her family had just experienced tragedy with the death of a young friend, and they were reeling in shock. It came as quite a surprise to me, and I didn't know what to say to her at first, so I listened. I listened to her cry and share the agony her family was feeling as their hearts were breaking. It was so very gut wrenching to hear her pain, but, you know what? I was glad to have been there for her on the other end of the line...but I almost wasn't.

You see, way back in the fall of 2001, my youngest had started kindergarten in a half day afternoon program. I knew some of the students in his class, and I was happy with the situation. My mornings were free to run errands or just spend some quality time with my son before dropping him off at school. It was a routine I had fallen in to, and it was simple. I enjoyed it. That was until this pesky mother who had a lot more energy than I created a plan for an every Wednesday morning field trip...before school. What? "No thank you," I told her. "I have a lot of family in the area." Can you believe I said that? Like that had anything to do with early morning field trips.

"No problem," she responded. "Is it okay if I pick up your son so he can join us?"

Wow! How embarrassing. I felt like a pretty lazy mother at that point so I decided to join the group, just to give it a try. Needless to say, we became fast friends, that pesky mother and I. We laughed countless times about my idiotic excuse and repeated it often when deciding whether or not to make some plans.

What if I hadn't changed my mind. What if pesky mother hadn't had such initiative. What if...that chance had never occurred. It really makes me stop and wonder when I think of things like this. Chance. It only takes a split second to see someone for the first time, to take another look, to stop and think about someone, to say...yes. How different our lives would be if we had missed a particular chance...or turned it down.

Have you ever thought the same? Have you had any near misses where your life might have been extremely different? Almost missed meeting your spouse? Almost chose a different career? Listened to your mother? Didn't listen? I'd like to hear it. Share you experience in the comments section. We'd all like to hear.

And as for my dear friend, pesky mother. I thank you for the hundreds of good times we've shared from Wednesday morning field trips to backyard Easter egg hunts to following us down camping at Myrtle Beach. And who, I might add, can make my Officer Buckle blush so! You pack all the living you can into your life and that of your childrens', and I'm so terribly sorry that one, almost like your own, is gone. I'm so glad your heart had the chance to love him.

The Silver Side of Life