We are not promised tomorrow, I mean we aren’t even promised today.

It always hurts when you get that unexpected call that someone in your family has passed away.

I wanted to give the respect to a couple people who passed away recently in my close friend and family circle.

A little over a year ago my aunt Susan lost her mother, she and her siblings had a hard time recovering from the loss; it’s hard to lose a parental figure. So I wanted to give out the respect and honor for their mother since I knew her very well and spent a good amount of time with her, too. Her name was Loy and I always knew her as Grandma Loy. She always pushed me to do the best in my education and always gave me those short but sweet encouraging words when I would tell her my good grades. She was a loving woman and cared for all her children equally and her grandchildren. She had this spark in her that gave her this personality that you couldn’t forget. When you met her for the first time, she would leave a lasting impression on you. I went to her funeral and got to see all my cousins and other aunts and uncles that I haven’t seen in a while. I haven’t seen them much lately, not as much as I did when I was younger, but it was nice to see them. I am forever sorry for their loss of such an amazing woman, but I know that she will always be in the sky watching over them.

The other respect I would like to give is towards my best friend Caitlyn, a couple weeks ago she lost her papa. Her papa (grandfather) was everything to her; he was her best friend, mentor, inspiration, and family. She always enjoyed the days she got to spend with him when she would go visit. I saw him whenever he would go to her birthdays or holidays, he was such a loving and funny man. He is Spaniard and had a lot of pride for his culture. His family emigrated from Spain to Texas; he joined the Marine Corps and played the trumpet in the Marine band. Later on in San Francisco, he met the love of his life at Treasure Island and that made San Fran his favorite spot in the whole world. His love for his kids, grandkids, and great grandkids is infinite; he was always there for any member of his family. For Caitlyn it was hard the day he passed but I knew that she had a lot of support and that I and my family would be there for her and her family through it all. I don’t think there will be a day where he won’t be missed; he always left a lasting imprint on whoever he met whenever he met them. He walked in with purpose and made anyone feel welcome in his presence. He was fluent in Spanish and had such a love and respect for culture. I feel as if anyone who got the chance to meet him was lucky. Caitlyn being my best friend, I got to know her relationship with him more than anyone, and she had all the love in the world for him. She would go to him for any advice and always introduce her boyfriend to him because she knew that he would only want the best for her.

My dad was also very involved with their family since he was best friends with Caitlyn’s dad since they were teenagers. So, the news hit my dad pretty hard as well.

I have all the respect for both of those people, and I know that they are constantly looking out for both of their families.

Hug your loved ones extra tight, tell your friends you love them whenever you can, and always live like there’s no tomorrow.

Sarah Lawson is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Escalon Times and The Riverbank News; she can be reached at slawson@oakdaleleader.com.