I have to admit that towards the end of the year, the business of life really got in the way of blogging more often, but I am back and looking forward to staying inspired and motivated to keep creating content.

Here in LA, there was a local story recently that struck a chord.  A local reporter who we watch every weekend died suddenly at the age of 43.  While I initially thought he had a heart attack or was in a car accident, it turns out that the real story is likely far more tragic.  As I watched the news and how they honored him, I was so struck by how incredible of a person he was, yet beneath it all, he had some demons that in the end, cost him his life.  I have seen addiction through family members and it is such a dark place.  Some are so lucky to escape while others end up succumbing and ending their lives way too soon.

As I thought about this story, I was reflecting on how often this likely happens in life.  We go through our lives interacting and connecting with people throughout the day but how often do we really look beneath the surface or give the person the opportunity to share their struggles.  We can’t save everyone but think about people you encounter in life who appear to have it all together or live a normal life but underneath, they are hiding something so much deeper.  I don’t know the back story of the news reporter above and his co-workers chose to honor him and the person he was rather than dwell on the way in which he died, but I keep thinking, could it have been avoided?  Had he let someone in sooner, would he still be here today?

I feel like this happens with any circumstance in life and I even relate it to my teenager.  Communication is hard these days and getting anything out of him is like pulling teeth so how do we ensure that our kids share with us when they are struggling or have a problem bigger than themselves?  Honestly, I don’t have the answer but I do know that in his case and with everyone around me, I want to make sure I am always trying to look beneath the surface conversations and see what is really going on.  It may or not make a difference in the end but at least we can connect on deeper levels and hope that tragedies like the one above don’t occur.

I know I always hug my family a little tighter when I hear stories like this.  Life is so precious and this is just a reminder that we should never take it for granted.  So thankful for all of you who take the time to read my daily Instagram posts and these blog posts.  Have a blessed day friends!