Death - What lies ahead for all of us

Death, seems I can't escape it lately.

In the past four weeks, I have been to funerals for four friends who have lost their fathers. Then just this past Friday, a friend passed away. Her funeral will be this week. Fifty years old, mother of two and wife of a high school friend. So vibrant and full of life, she brightened up the room when she entered and had you laughing. I will miss her and her craziness but will never forget her. She will live on in my heart.

I am not alone in recently experiencing death of a loved one. A friend recently attended the funeral of his cousin's 9 year old son. How incredibly agonizing this type of death is; to have one's child predecease them. Your mind simply cannot wrap itself around this reversal of the natural order of things. I cannot help but feel a bit sad at such news, not because I knew the family but because I am a parent with children and I cringe at the thought of having to bury one of them.

Death, seems to surround me these past few weeks.

Although we are cognizant of the fact that each of us, from the moment we are conceived, are one day closer to our death, it does not get any easier to accept the death of a loved one. The hurt and pain we experience can be anquishing and transcends all social status, religion, race or nationality.

I guess it's the selfishness within that makes us angry, hurt and sad at the passing of a loved one. Afterall, we are mourning our loss; our lost opportunity to say that one last thing; our opportunity to do that one last thing; our opportunity to let them know we loved them.

We are told to be happy for the time we had with our loved one and that they have gone on to a better place than here on Earth but that only works for those of us who Seize the Day and have no regrets. Is there anyone out there without regrets of one kind or another?

Death, a guaranteed passage of life... Carpe Diem my friends!

Death, what lies ahead for all of us.