If I Had My Life To Live Over by Erma Bombeck

The following was written by the late Erma Bombeck
after she found out that she had cancer.

If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television – and more while watching life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.”

There would have been more “I love you’s”.. More “I’m sorrys” …

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute… look at it and really see it … live it…and never give it back.

I love that Erma was so inspiring and there is wisdom in her words. Amazing how when we are faced with our mortality our focus sharpens and we instinctively knows what really matters to us–without hours of in-depth thought.

In the summer of 2003 we were living in Paul Lake, Kamloops, BC. That morning I got a call from a friend. She informed me there was a fire so I turn on the radio and learnt about a fire that started at the railway and was making it’s way up Strawberry Hill in our direction. Within minutes from that call my husband phones from work he had just found out from a co-worker that there was a fire heading up towards our area. The road closest to our home had been blocked off, so every one had to come into the area from that back road which took considerably longer.

Les said he was coming home and that I should just get a ride into town if I can. With two kids, two dogs and one cat I was a little stressed. I told Justin what was happening and to grab a backpack with some of his clothes. I put Henry into his baby backpack, filled the bottom of it with diapers and bottles. Put our cat Albert into his kennel. By then the evacuation alert had become an evacuation order.

There were repeated official evacuation order announcements, the calm droll of the announcer seem to make me panic more. I wanted to have all things that were important to us ready for Les. I grab all the family pictures and brought them to the end of the driveway so they’d be ready to put into the Suburban. I was able to get a ride in with a friend of mine Jane (God bless her).

It was so terrifying because Jane and I knew the fire was moving fast. Across from where we lived there is a hill on top of that hill you could see all this dark smoke and an orange glow seeping through it–a very errie effect. Jane just had a Volkswagen rabbit that had a bunch of her stuff in it. Justin and Henry who was just 11 months at the time plus are two huge border collies and cat in his carrier squished into her car.

Henry was in his backpack carrier between my legs in the front seat, not safe at all but neither is burning to death– We just did what we had to do. As we were leaving the area lots of people where coming into the area to help friends with their live stalk and horses. We saw Les he just pulled around and followed us out of the area. We ended up at the arena in Kamloops that’s where all the evacuees went. We could of gone to Vernon but Les had to keep working so we thought it best just stay together.

I don’t know how many people were evacuated but it was thousands. Barrier was totally evacuated as well as Paul Lake, Pinatin Lake and Pritchard was evacuated for a few days too I believe. That night we were put up in a hotel when we woke up in the morning all we could smell was smoke. I kept phoning home to see if the answering machine would picked up– when it did I at least knew our house was still not burnt to the ground. It was just awful not knowing.

It really seemed like the whole world was on fire anyone with asthma or breathing problems had to stay inside. We had to take are animals to the SPCA they had so many people that were in town started foster these pets from the evacuees because we could not keep them with us in the hotels.

We worried about them too because the SPCA was across the river from where the fire started. With the winds we did not know what was going to happen.

On the seventh day we got to go home the fire had missed our area thankfully but it was a frightening experience and we where so lucky. A lot of people in Barrier lost their homes.

When chatting with our father in law after he was like did you get your computer and television out of the house? For us the most important things we wanted to take were the family photos. Not furniture, computer games, computers, we just wanted the memories.

We where able after the third day able to get special permission to go back into the area to get some of our stuff we knew then we had been spared but things where still not safe enough for us to return.

Crisis’s like this does help to put thing into perspective. Hopefully most of the time we don’t have to get this kind of a jolt. I remember Les and I felt very lucky to have our home when so many people that summer had lost everything. The one thing everyone kept saying though as at least their family got out safe and that was the most important thing. All that crap we waste our money on doesn’t count for much in the end. So why do we spend so much time worrying about it? Two days after we were back at the house I found out I was pregnant with Evamae what a special gift.