It was Saturday morning, the forecast showed nothing but beautiful blue skies here in Vermont. My family and I planned on going out and enjoying the sunny weather. As we were rushing around getting our water bottles filled and backpacks prepared, my younger sister and I got into the typical sister tiff. As we were standing in the kitchen going back and forth, my mother stopped us and asked us to go take a seat in the living room. My first thought was that she wanted to tell the two of us to get along and enjoy the day. However, once we sat down on the couch, my father walked in and took a seat as well. My mom followed, and sat down in the rocking chair facing the three of us. At this point I was very confused on what was happening. She looked at us, and just by the look in her eyes I could tell something was wrong. Her first words were, “I don’t really know the right way to tell you guys this.”

She sat in the rocking chair looking at us, and there was a moment of silence. The silence was disrupted by the thoughts racing through my mind. I thought, is she pregnant? The thoughts were halted as she spoke her next words. Before she could say what she was wishing she did not have to, my eyes began to water and my throat began to swell up. “I have been diagnosed with cancer.”

My whole world stopped for a moment as memories shot through my mind like a missile. I felt like an awful daughter; taking my mother’s life for granted. I never really truly understood how important it was to cherish my relationship with her until that moment.

As I stared at the wall, trying to hold back my tears and continue to breathe, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with fear. What does this mean? Am I going to lose my best friend, my mom? I turned and looked over at my little sister, she had not one tear in her eye. My mom got up and walked over to me and reached out to pull me in with loving arms. What seemed to be waterfalls streaming from my eyes had increased in flow and left large puddles upon her right shoulder. I held her closely as I tried to remain calm and keep my breathing at a steady pace. From that moment on, our lives would be forever changed.

As my mother climbed mountains- figuratively and literally, I realized how important family really is. Every family has its problems, every family fights and argues, but in the end, family is all you have. Nothing pulls a family closer together than having your own mother become diagnosed with breast cancer. Until the day I came home and caught a glimpse of her past the Christmas tree with her hair entirely gone, I was unable to fully understand that this was reality. As much as our entire family would like to pretend it was not happening, it is something that could not, and will never be forgotten.

However, as my mother fought the battle with great hope and strength, she taught me a crucial life lesson. She pointed out how important it is to never take life for granted. No matter how healthy and active you are, God will still give his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. Knowing that life is only a privilege, it is your choice to live it to the fullest. It is so important to take chances and reach for the stars. As much as you should work your hardest and pay your bills, you should always take time out of your busy schedule to travel the world, meet new people, and experience great things. Most importantly, you should always treat others kindly because you never know what kind of battle they are fighting; whether they themselves are fighting something like cancer or someone they know is. Being surrounded by kind people can make the battle seem a little less like a war.

To put into simplest terms, your life can be taken from you at any given moment. Often times, it is when you least expect it. No matter your age, gender, weight, or lifestyle, it is something that is unpredictable. Knowing this, it is crucial you make the most of your time here on Earth and do not settle for anything less than happiness.