SO MANY TIMES..................

There are so many times, in our lives, that we say: “I will call him/her back- tomorrow, I will start eating better- tomorrow, I will start pursuing my dreams- tomorrow, I will start painting (or whatever else you have always wanted to try)- tomorrow, I will plan my vacation- tomorrow, I will “be better”- tomorrow, I will apologize-tomorrow, or I will tell them “I LOVE YOU”- tomorrow.

The thought of tomorrow is just that, a thought. There are so many times in our life when we think it can wait until tomorrow, but the truth is, TODAY is the only day we have to do it.

Today (JULY 6th) is my younger sister Tammie’s birthday. Tammie passed away at the age of twenty-four about 8th months ago from an overdose on oxycordone. I spoke to her on the phone the day before she passed on from this life. At the time that she called, I only made about five-minutes to talk to her before I said, “I’ll call you back later.” When “later” came, it slipped my mind to call her back. “Later” then turned into, “I’ll call her back tomorrow.” The first phone call that I got in the morning was from my mother, crying hysterically, saying: “She’s dead! Tammie is dead!” It took a few minutes for me to process exactly what she was saying, but after I did, I realized, I will never be given the opportunity, in the physical sense, to call her back “later” or “tomorrow.”

Through out my life, I have been shown time and time again just how fragile life is. This moment, right now, is all that we can ever truly know. In this moment, let all of your pain slip away, let your worries rest, and let your anger toward anyone go. Be here. Feel this breath, and know that this moment, right now, is all that you can ever truly know. No matter how this day, or moment may be reaching you, know that you are blessed for it to be reaching you at all.

Call your friends, plan your vacation, try something new, pursue your dreams, apologize to those your hurt, forgive the ones that hurt you, eat better, be better, live better, and say: "I LOVE YOU." Most importantly, do it TODAY.

Whether I ever have the opportunity to thank you directly or not, take this blog as a sign of that thanks. No matter how directly, or indirectly, you may be connected to my life, I appreciate the part that you play in it, just by being here now.

I LOVE YOU.

Ricky Roberts III