‘Live for the moment. You never know if there’s not going to be a tomorrow’It was an ordinary weekend for the Ehde family last weekend.We slept in on Saturday, ate cheesy eggs for brunch and Carson napped to the distant sound of a lawnmower engine criss-crossing the lawn.We did ordinary chores.Jonathan picked up sticks in the yard and hauled out the garbage. A few loads of laundry were washed and dried. Kitchen counters were cleaned and dirtied several times throughout the weekend.We enjoyed ordinary pleasures.Grandpa and Grandma Kroontje joined us for Sunday dinner after church, and a bike trip to the park resulted in a swimming outing with friends who were camping there.So why are all these ordinary details making the newspaper?Because for people with fragile health, participating in these ordinary activities would be extraordinary events.In the past week I found my thoughts drifting to the Mayo Clinic where Mike Van Der Brink and his family have spent a grueling week following surgery. (See the related front-page story.)Van Der Brink is honorary chairman of this weekend’s Relay for Life, and his responsibilities are relatively simple. He’s to provide a brief speech for Relay participants, and he’s to lead the Survivor Lap that kicks off the overnight trek around the city park.But at this point, it’s unclear if he’s up to the ride home from Rochester.With Mike’s health precariously balanced between post-surgery and recovery, the Van Der Brinks are no doubt longing for a return to an ordinary life of ordinary activities.I feel somewhat guilty knowing life stands still for them while the rest of us proceed with our daily routines. Once their routine gets back on track, it goes without saying that they won’t overlook life’s little pleasures. "It opens your eyes," said Mike’s wife, Kris, about dealing with cancer. "You live for the moment. … You never know if there’s not going to be tomorrow."Rock County’s Relay for Life starts with a community supper Friday night. The $4 meal is just one of many last-minute fund-raising opportunities to support cancer research.And you don’t have to have cancer to show up.You don’t even have to know anybody with cancer to participate.This is the fifth year of Relay for Life in Luverne, and I would encourage anyone who hasn’t been part of it to see what it’s all about.Not just because it’s a worthy cause, but because it’s a worthwhile life lesson.It’s a powerful experience to bring together so many people who have endured so much … whether it be surviving cancer or surviving the pain of losing someone to cancer.They’re inspiring, they’re motivating and, if nothing, else, they’re solid reminders to count our blessings.
