Darkest Hour
Well, dear friends, I know you never could have expected this, myself least of all, but I write this entry in order to say goodbye. For years now I have struggled with a condition, never complaining, never sharing or confiding its horrors in anyone, even my closest friends, but it appears that this condition can no longer go untreated. You see, tomorrow morning (Technically today), I must undergo potentially life-threatening surgery. I am to be anesthetized, and, as you all well know, I'm sure, this is a condition from which it is possible that one may never awaken. If my life is to be tragically cut short, and my bright and rising star is snuffed out by a cruel twist of fate, depriving this blue orb of a hero among men, I just want you all to know that, in knowing you, my life has been enriched almost as much as yours have been by knowing me.
Though it will surely be a difficult time for you now, time will continue its steadfast tread, the sun will rise and fall, the seasons will change, and life will go on. You must, too. But perhaps you will take some solace from the fact that, if ever you feel alone or lost, you need only look up into the morning sun or the night sky, and know, that I'll be with you wherever you go. If ever you feel sad or melancholy, just take a moment to stop, picture my smiling face, and remember some of the great jokes that I've told. And finally, if ever you feel confused, and without a moral compass, remember a phrase that I've turned to many a time, that countless others have relied upon in the past, and that countless more will surely find guidance in during years to come: WWAD? If, dear friends, you keep that simple acronym close to your heart, you will never truly be alone, nor without happiness, nor without righteousness.
And now, alas, I must leave this writing, and prepare myself for what is yet to come. Do not trouble yourselves, for I am not afraid. I have faced danger many times before, and come face to face with the darkness of death on more than one occasion; I do not tremble nor shy away here. If it is Father's will, I can leave this temporal plane without regret or sadness, for I have truly lived a full and wonderful life for having been able to call you all, my friends.
Farewell.
Though it will surely be a difficult time for you now, time will continue its steadfast tread, the sun will rise and fall, the seasons will change, and life will go on. You must, too. But perhaps you will take some solace from the fact that, if ever you feel alone or lost, you need only look up into the morning sun or the night sky, and know, that I'll be with you wherever you go. If ever you feel sad or melancholy, just take a moment to stop, picture my smiling face, and remember some of the great jokes that I've told. And finally, if ever you feel confused, and without a moral compass, remember a phrase that I've turned to many a time, that countless others have relied upon in the past, and that countless more will surely find guidance in during years to come: WWAD? If, dear friends, you keep that simple acronym close to your heart, you will never truly be alone, nor without happiness, nor without righteousness.
And now, alas, I must leave this writing, and prepare myself for what is yet to come. Do not trouble yourselves, for I am not afraid. I have faced danger many times before, and come face to face with the darkness of death on more than one occasion; I do not tremble nor shy away here. If it is Father's will, I can leave this temporal plane without regret or sadness, for I have truly lived a full and wonderful life for having been able to call you all, my friends.
Farewell.