Here we are with a shiny, brand new year for us to make of it what we will! Only time will tell how the year turns out for each of us, but may I remind you of the truism that, as always, life is what you make of it.

I thought long and hard (all right, about 45 seconds) about my first post for the new year (2007, that is), and stumbled (sound of stubbing toe) across an article from the Denver Post (link below). Actually, it’s an obituary. And though I never read obituaries, something about this one just caught my eye and I couldn’t help myself. I’m glad I took the time.

It’s about a man named Thomas L. Cook, who was fatally struck by a car at the age of 54. And if there was ever a person who had a tough life, this was the guy.

Thomas was accident-prone, believe it or not, from before birth, having been nearly miscarried. But that merely marked the beginning of a life filled with a seemingly never-ending series of accidents, near tragedies and tragedies. He nearly died in high school when a hemorrhaging spleen laid him low after a skiing trip. Not long after, he had to have blood drained from his skull after a go-karting accident. As a university student, he was in a car accident that left him severely brain damaged and in a long period of coma.

Five months later, he awoke suddenly, and began an incredible comeback. A long recuperation led to a job as an assistant computer programmer, where his ebullient nature made him well-liked among his colleagues. But not long after, he was in yet another car accident, ironically near the earlier one, when he broke his back “the first time”, as his sister recalled. He broke his back twice more.

As a young man he ended up severely crippled from these and many other incidents that marred his life. But undeterred, he taught himself how to feed and dress himself, learning to use a cane and refusing a wheelchair. His cheerful nature and continued optimism won him many lifelong friends.

At 3:45 pm on September 11, 2006, he was struck by a car, the last in a long series of accidents and mishaps that plagued his life. But… here’s how the article ends:

“Mourners overflowed the church that held Cook’s memorial service last week.‘They had to bring in extra chairs,’ Silverman [his doctor] said.

‘He was thin as a wisp of hair, but he was a self-sufficient person. To have survived these accidents and come back a functioning person was such an accomplishment. To have the strength to go on is such a tribute to his toughness.’”

Although I didn’t personally know Thomas, after reading this short synopsis of his life, I wish I had. Of course, no one can predict what life is going to toss your way, but after everything is said and done, it falls to those who come after us to pass judgment on the impact our lives will have on the world.

The fact is many would have turned bitter and resentful if life had dumped on them like it did for Thomas. I must admit, I shudder to think of what I might have become had I been subject to as many incidents in my life. But what is it that makes one person turn inward and angry, while another moves past what life has thrown them and maintains a positive outlook?

You can find the answer in one word: attitude.

Attitude is what determines how we move forward through life. Our attitude determines practically everything about our futures, and colors everything about our past. And the fact is, the attitude makes the person; it’s not the other way around. Evangelical preacher, writer and Pastor Charles Swindoll has said that he is convinced that life is “10% events, and 90% attitude”, and it was certainly true for Thomas.

So to the friends and family of Thomas L. Cook I say this: I’m glad I got to know him, even in this small way. Knowing about him will help inspire me, I pray, be a better person.

Ah, inspiration indeed for a brand new year. After all, there’s no telling whether this year you’ll be handed lemons – or diamonds. But the real question is, what will YOU make of it?

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” - William James (1842-1910) American psychologist and philosopher.

Article link here.