Change Your Perspective

Remember in my last post, how I talked about those little details that I remember about the day Layla was born? They don't matter, at all. It's all about your perspective. The way you 'see' it. Perspective is the capacity to view things in their relative importance. It doesn't change anything physically but can make all the difference in your head. It's your mindset about a situation that is different when you change your perspective.

While going through my pregnancy with Layla, it was very much about my perspective. My mindset. My faith & hope. It's what kept me going. Looking at the big picture. Realizing the potential that my God can do miracles. It wasn't about the physical challenges. I needed to keep my perspective in check. Things could have gone very differently if I would have thought differently. I'm thankful that my family, friends and co-workers supported my optimistic and faithful perspective.

In high school & college, I had four close guy friends. Not boyfriends. Just very close meaningful friendships that mattered. One is now my husband. One is now my best friends husband. I recently reconnected with another via Facebook. I received a phone call about the fourth one yesterday. He died. (Why does it hurt so bad to say that word?) I have so many thoughts. It's sad that I haven't talked to so many of my high school friends in 9 years and now we're connecting. What an awful reason. I was pretty close with him through high school. I have so many good memories. His birthday was 2 days before mine. We went to Chuck E Cheese for our 14th birthday. We were teased for hanging out together. Everyone thought we liked each other, so we started telling people we were cousins. He bought me a souvenir from his family trip to Puerto Villarta. He was really good at drawing & drew me pictures all the time during school. We both played piano, so we'd always play when I went to his house. I have so many more memories. Those are the ones that stick out in my head. It makes me want to pull out my boxes to look at all of those memories. We didn't keep in touch after graduation. I was that person who only wrote on his Facebook wall on his birthday. In high school, he listened and he cared. I'm sure he was a great friend to a lot of people after graduation. I'll always remember his spiky hair & bright, big smile. He will be missed.

His passing changes my perspective again. It forces me to think about the relationships I have. Ones that have shaped my past. That have made me who I am today. Think about your perspective now, before a circumstance forces you to. Take a step back and look at the big picture.

In Memory of Ross Andress

~   1985 - 2012   ~