Thankful

I know that most of you don’t know who I am so I’m going to give a brief introduction. My name is Kim and I am Jan and Tony’s daughter-in-law. I became a part of their family long before Jason and I were married. They are the most loving and accepting people I have ever met and not until Jan got sick did I realize how lucky I was to be a part of their family. Through all the ups and downs (there are too many to count) that we’ve been through in the last nine months, Tony and Jan have not only mustered incredible strength but shown what it is to truly love and care for another person.

Although Jan and Tony are just returning home today they have occasionally spent time at their home in Valrico. One such occasion was this past Sunday. The five of us: Tony, Jan, Jeff, Jason and I sat around for the afternoon watching Tiger play in a Major while eating tacos as we have done so many Sundays before. However, this Sunday was quite different for me. It occurred to me as I looked around the room listening to conversation about sports, movies and work that the five of us hadn’t been together like that since January or February. This may not seem like a big deal to some who only see family once or twice a year, but in the Scolaro household we do this almost every Sunday. I learned something at that very moment that I hope to never forget. Every single day that we spend with people we love is a precious gift. It doesn’t matter if you’re watching a movie you’ve seen 100 times or talking about who won the Rays game because you can never get the time back and you never know when it could end.

So to Tony and Jan, for teaching me the most important lesson I’ve ever learned and to all of you out there who have read, posted comments and sent prayers their way, Thank You.