Reflections...

Last week a friend died. Unexpected. It hit on a lot of levels.

I met him before his son died. Then afterward, in GriefShare where I helped him walk through the grief journey.

To see the progression from grieving father who couldn't make it through the first cycle to someone who made it through the second. He came back.

Not only came back, he became one of us, and joined the team comforting as he'd been comforted.
Then he died right before the cycle began.

We looked at a new flock of wounded people while likewise wounded. Then the next day we went to his funeral. The videos we show have a new light to them even after seeing them at least 7 times now.

I have a slight fatalistic streak. It comes from so many dying at once.

One in an accident. Four the next year with two within days of each other. Two after that. Four more in 2016.

Accidents, sudden health issues, miscarriages...

It leads to odd thoughts. Like what are people going to say when I die? How many will be there? Will God let me watch my own funeral?

It's one of the painful parts of marriage when you think about it. When you say, "I Do" when the minister asks if you'll take your spouse until death do you part.

It's something that stays in the back of my mind. The eventuality that eventually I or my wife will die.

How will we deal with that?

Poorly I am sure. Sometimes I think about it, like an inoculation. When you consider the eventual death of a spouse it gives perspective.

Was that argument really that important?

Do you spend enough time with them?

Personally, I'm thinking we need to print off some pictures. We have tons of them. Time froze on paper.

Death makes you think...