Mark Everett Kelly (on left - seen here with friend Bob Boucher) is a 29-year survivor of Stage IV Rhabdomyosarcoma.
For those of you who are confused, I usually post my blog on "Living As A Cancer Survivor" on Thursday, and I have never crossed universes before combining my sports and personal life. This week something different occurred that I want to address.
While everyone in the universe knows that NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year old daughter, Gigi, were involved in a fatal helicopter crash on Sunday afternoon, they were just two of nine fatalities that day.
I also lost an acquaintance earlier in the day that I lost touch with over the last 20 years. I went to visit him in the hospital Sunday morning but was 1/2 our too late, as he had passed earlier in the day.
Kobe Bryant was a fantastic athlete who had accomplished as much as any individual could during his 20-year NBA career. A five-time NBA champion, Kobe was named an All-Star 18 times, while also winning two Gold Medals representing his country.
My heart breaks for many reasons. The first reason is that Tommy, Kobe, Gianna, John, Keri, Alyssa, Christina, Payton, Sara, and Ara are gone. The second reason is that we live each day and never realize how much we value the people we love until it is too late.
What can we do as a country to finally realize that all this disgusting crap we hold against each other for not thinking the same way, voting for the same politician, or any other of these moronic differences that create such friction.
We are all sophisticated beings. We all have many admirable traits that make us valuable. None of us is any more important than anyone else. Skin color does NOT matter. How healthy you are, does NOT matter. Who you VOTE FOR DOES NOT MATTER! How athletic or smart you are, does NOT matter.
We need to stop judging each other on such mundane things that cause separation. We all must stop blaming others for why we choose to hold grudges or bad feelings toward another. LIFE IS TOO SHORT.
I don't care if you believe in God, but I do. That does not make me a better person, but it does make me someone with a thought process that differs from those who choose not to. I respect other views not to, and as individuals, countries, and a society, we need to respect each other more. If you don't like or recognize the Bible, don't read these passages. I chose them because they speak about our value and importance to God and how we are to treat each other.
Luke 12: 6-7 - What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. 7 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
John 15:12-13 - This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.