About Me

My photo
My name is Maribel. I have two wonderful children and a strong faith. I am also a survivor of depression. I want to share my stories and feelings with everyone in the hopes of removing some of the stigma associated with this disease. You are not weak, you are not crazy. It is not a feeling that you can just wish would go away; it is a struggle from day to day. Some days are good, some days are great, other times everything around you seems bleak. The good news is that there is hope, and depression can be controlled. Thank you for visiting my page. I hope you will enjoy reading my thoughts. At times you will find my posts to be educational and uplifting. Other times I am sure they will be raw and personal. My hope is that you will travel this road with me as we continue to explore what is in store for us in this journey called life.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Make Life Count


Within the past couple of days I received news that two family members are on their deathbeds, one given a few days to live, the other a couple of months. Life is finite, that is no secret. Not one of us can escape the hour when we will take our last breath on this earth. Typically we don’t wake up asking ourselves if today will be that day. No one knows the exact time. We all know we must die, but when we are told we have an approximate period of time to live it becomes so much more real.

I think I reflect on death more than your conventional person because of losing both parents to cancer. I remember hearing that dreaded phrase, “You have x-number of months to live.” This is why I try to live my life to the fullest. I travel, I tell people I love them, I forgive, I try to be as kind as I can be, and I eat what I want when I have a craving. I refuse to allow my finances dictate how I’m going to enjoy life. I usually have enough resources to do what I want because I choose to be content with what I have. I don’t live life to impress anyone else, nor to accommodate anyone’s idea of how I should live my life. I know that I am on this earth only because God allowed it to be so, and realize that this is my temporary home. I am imperfect. I screw up, I get up again, and thank God for His mercy. My future is secure in Him.

Hearing the recent bad news finds me once again contemplating the brevity of life. Don’t spend your last days lamenting the past. Make your life count from today on! Do the things you want to do, always keeping God in the forefront. Free yourself by forgiving others, spend less on brand names and more on memories, don’t cancel plans with family in order to get more work done. Spend less time being upset at your significant other and more time demonstrating why you fell in love with them in the first place. Craving dessert? Eat it! In public and get the urge to dance? Do it!

What stories do you want to leave behind with your loved ones? Let their grief be replaced by loving memories.