You never know your time.
I got a phone call from my best friend a day or two ago with bad news. Her brother passed away quite unexpectedly, very suddenly with no warning. Just -poof- he dropped while getting ready to go out in the morning. The EMTs said he was probably dead by the time he hit the floor.
He was only 36 years old, and leaves behind a young widow and baby. He had no history of any heath problems other than general overweight, and had recently had a check-up. They're doing an autopsy, and I hope for the sake of closure they figure out what happened.
I hadn't seen him in nearly two decades, but I heard about him all the time from his sister. My memory is of a kid brother who was protective of his older sister who needed no protecting, but he was trying hard to be the "proper" brother. He was sweet and gentle and a good kid. By all accounts, he retained those traits into manhood.
S was very funny--she was surprised how responsible her brother was and how organized all his finances are. Even though she knew intellectually that he was a competent, responsible adult, it's hard to change the perceptions we have of our close family.
This is more or less a reminder to everyone to enjoy your life. S's brother lived long enough to marry his childhood sweetheart and see his son, both of whom he adored. He had a short life, but a happy one, and by my accounting that's a tick in the "success" column.
He was only 36 years old, and leaves behind a young widow and baby. He had no history of any heath problems other than general overweight, and had recently had a check-up. They're doing an autopsy, and I hope for the sake of closure they figure out what happened.
I hadn't seen him in nearly two decades, but I heard about him all the time from his sister. My memory is of a kid brother who was protective of his older sister who needed no protecting, but he was trying hard to be the "proper" brother. He was sweet and gentle and a good kid. By all accounts, he retained those traits into manhood.
S was very funny--she was surprised how responsible her brother was and how organized all his finances are. Even though she knew intellectually that he was a competent, responsible adult, it's hard to change the perceptions we have of our close family.
This is more or less a reminder to everyone to enjoy your life. S's brother lived long enough to marry his childhood sweetheart and see his son, both of whom he adored. He had a short life, but a happy one, and by my accounting that's a tick in the "success" column.