As I sit and ponder what life has thrown at me lately I am grateful for the things I have.  Sometimes it takes a rude awakening or tragedy to make us realize how fortunate we are. This last month has been a trying time for my family and I.

God has decided to call another of his angel’s home and this angel just happens to be me sister Angie.

I have questioned the possible reasons he would take her over this last month.    I have run through all the questions, like why?

What did she ever do wrong and is this is test?  I’ve even taken the, I’ll make a deal with you God road.

My sister Angela has been diagnosed with a fungal infection in the frontal lobe of her brain.  There is no surgery that can be performed to fix it and the anti-fungal medicine that they had been trying on her has not worked.

We have been told there is about a 3 percent chance of any kind of survival.  Angie is a 55 year old mother of three and grandmother of four.

She has been a devoted wife to my Brother in-law David for almost 35 years and a role model and friend to me for my 50 years on this earth.

As I watched her prepare to move onto a better place it filled me with pain to see her in pain.  Through this ordeal I have learned that life really is short and you never know when you will leave this earth.

I have prayed and I have cried and I have laughed, but above all else I have wished.

I wish that my sister’s sinus infection would have been treated earlier.

I wish that there would have been a medicine that could have stopped the fungal infection from spreading.

I wish that there was a surgery that could be done to remove the fungus from her brain.

I wish this was all a bad dream, but most of all I wish that I had one more chance to look her in the eyes and tell her how much I love her.

I wish I could have just one more laugh with her and share a hot whiskey with her (that was our favorite family get together drink as we caught up on things)

My sister lost her battle with her illness on Friday, and as I watched her slowly slip away, I was amazed at her strength and spirit.

Each day I would go and see her and tell her how much I love her and how much we will miss her, I wondered if she could hear me and if she knows what an amazing person she is.

I have learned a lot about life and family this last month.

Never, ever take life for granted. Believe in your family and let those around you, both family and friends know how much you appreciate them and how much you love them.

As we try to understand  the loss of our beloved sister, wife, mother, grandmother and friend, I find some comfort knowing that she is now at peace and that she has joined our father and nephew to watch over the rest of us.

I've always loved Justin Moore's song "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away" but now I wish it were true.

What do you wish for?

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