Forget The World

Ch 20: Life

I'm really sorry for the very long wait, but this is the last chapter, so I had to make sure it was good. Any comments on the overall book would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

60 years later.....

Amelia's POV

As I look back on all the years of my exciting, fabulous, horribly awful, extraordinary life, I remember every moment in exact detail. I remember all of the mistakes I've made. I store all of the important lessons in the depths of my brain, and my most memorable moments in the bottom of my heart. There's also a special place for all who I've lost along the way.

Now that I've lived almost a century, I've learned to put my hatred aside, and open up my mind, because everyone deserves a second chance. The moment you decide to forgive the bad and take in the good, is the moment that you open up your arms to the truth of the world. It's like you're seeing what's real for the very first time. You try to hold onto it, and no matter what happens, as long as you remember to forgive, you will never forget the meaning of life.

As I flip through the pages of my old scrapbook, and rock on my rocking chair that my husband made me for our 47th anniversary, I am recalling all the highs and lows of my life. My children Anthony and Leah were definitely a high. Little Leah's motivation on the soccer field, and Anthony's "fact of the day" every night at dinner. But things such as my addictions and the death of the multiple men in my life were the lows. When I brush my hand over the pictures of my patients that should've died, but I saved, I can almost feel the weight and smoothness of the scalpel in my hand. I miss it. Surgery. I had to quit when I was about 65, because my eyes were getting bad, and my hands were too shakey.

It's funny, because as I come across every moment, every second of my existence, through the good and the bad, I wouldn't change a thing. I knew people that had everything handed to them on a silver platter, and I couldn't imagine how lost I would be if I never messed up. The point of making mistakes is that you learn from them. You grow. Every rough patch that I have overcome, has make me that much stronger. What's that saying? "No pain, no gain?" Well, my life wouldn't have been worth living if I never learned everything I know now.

My kids are all grown up now with children of their own, and their children have children. I've saved so many lives, I couldn't even begin to count. I've watched most of my friends die, whether it was peacefully, or awfully painful. But I've lived. I've really lived. Now it's time to go join Owen and the rest of them in paradise.

The thing about life, is that there are no rules. You get to do as you please. But it's your responsibility to ensure you live it to your absolute fullest.