This weekend I have been helping my grandma and family pack up the McCabe house in Kaitangata as she prepares for one of her first (and last) moves.

In January my grandad, Ron McCabe passed away after a unexpected stroke. It was so unexpected it took the family by shock. Now in June we are coming close to his Birthday.

My Dad asked me to clear all the things off his walls in his office/shack. While I was removing rugby posters from 1990-2004 and uncovering graffiti on the walls from the days it was his children’s sleepout, i found a year planner.  I didn’t think anything of it untill i read the year, ‘2007.’ The calender was folded in half and showed exactly from the month of his passing to the month we had to burn what he held dear.

Grandad had planned this whole year till June 29th from everything such as doctors appointments to finance stuff im too young to understand. This got me thinking, no matter how much we plan. Who really has the control?

We can organise life as much as we want with our notebooks, diary’s and Treo’s… But in the end does it just waste what little time we have left? After all, Grandad did not have a clue that for 5 of the 6 months he had ‘penciled in,’ He wouldn’t be around.

So give who ever is around you at the moment a hug, tell them how much you love them (not if your on your laptop in Starbucks) and appreciate life guys

Catch yah

Nick