We can never know the road NOT traveled. The "what if's" and the "should have's" are natural for us but useless.

Even if we were to entertain some of them, we will never know what that road would bring to us or if the fork in the road or choices we make did not lead to the same end.

I have two streets near me that are both perpendicular to a third street and are two blocks from each other. It would look like the letter F if I were to draw them. But guess what, no matter which of the two streets you take, you still wind up at the exact same location. They both curve and meet, and look like the letter P instead of the F one would think they represent.

What I am trying to say is, what if or should have taken Road A instead of Road B would not matter. You would still end at the same place due to the curve in each road.

So to second guess different routes or choices made, the surgery vs no surgery, the early discharge from rehab, any of them, would not alter the destination. When GOD calls, it does not matter what road we are on.

If one believes in GOD, they believe that HE is the one that has the power and decides when we meet HIM in the hereafter. Any choices we make are irrelevant since HE decides our earthly expiration date.

Others may have different views, different beliefs, that are just as valid as anything expressed in this post so I hope I have not offended anyone that does not believe in GOD.

Some may feel that they have control over their destiny. Some believe in fate. Some things just have no explanation and we wonder why. I will be the first to admit that I have questioned my own faith on more than one occasion.

I post this only as a means of offering some thoughts that may provide some comfort to you. Some possible reasons to settle all those "what if's" and "should have's".

While I am VERY upset that Bubba has been taken from you, I seek some solace to believe that he is in GOD's hands and has been assigned to be your guardian angel.

I am not sure someone saying these things to me in the middle of my grief would have been a comfort or would have caused me to feel resentful and irritated that someone was pushing me into a religious acceptance of something I was not ready to accept.

I do know. I WAS resentful when told something of this nature. I was down right ANGRY. My faith was of NO consolation at the time. I had prayed for my love one to be OK. My prayers were NOT answered.

It took a long time for me to realize that my prayers WERE answered, just not the way I wanted them answered. I was driving down the street one day and a country song came on the car radio. It was a tune I was very familiar with but I had never paid attention to the words. For some reason that day, I actually heard the words and it hit me. GOD had responded to my prayers, just in HIS way and with HIS wisdom.