What a beautiful ride
By Johanna D’Addario
This week I have been reflecting on the loss of a beautiful soul. Aimee Reed was my age, full of life, and seemed to always have a smile on her face. Although I didn’t know her, she was well known to the TBBCF family and the chemotherapy nurses I work with at Yale-New Haven Hospital. From reading about her, I can tell she had grace, determination, and grit. She was an inspiration.
Aimee planned to participate in the Walk Across Southeastern CT with us on October 6th, and it goes without saying that walk day will not be the same without her presence. Today, I donated $34 to Aimee’s walk page in her memory – one dollar for each year of her beautiful life. I encourage everyone reading this to do the same…Just think of the impact it will make if every walker and walk supporter made a donation in her honor.
https://grouprev.com/tbbcfwalk2018-aimee-reed
A few weeks ago, I heard a song by Gary Allen on the radio that made me think of the challenges that having cancer brings with it. Now, when I think of the lyrics to this song, I think of Aimee. Although I’m sure her life wasn’t always beautiful, her struggles made her strong, beautiful, and wise. She left a huge mark on this world, and we will walk with Aimee in spirit on October 6th.
“Life ain’t always beautiful, sometimes it’s just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart.
Life ain’t always beautiful, you think you’re on your way
And it’s just a dead-end road at the end of the day.
But the struggles make you stronger, and the changes make you wise
And happiness has its own way of taking its sweet time.
No, life ain’t always beautiful, tears will fall sometimes
Life ain’t always beautiful, but it’s a beautiful ride.
Life ain’t always beautiful, some days I miss your smile
I get tired of walking all these lonely miles.
And I wish for just one minute that I could see your pretty face
Guess I can dream but life don’t work that way.
But the struggles make me stronger and the changes make me wise
And happiness has its own way of taking its sweet time.
No, life ain’t always beautiful, but I know I’ll be fine
Life ain’t always beautiful, but it’s a beautiful ride.
What a beautiful ride.”