Death

Death...................One guarantee in life for all of us!  A subject I have been intrigued by as long as I can remember.  I remember fearing death for others when I was young, as I didn't believe that it happened until you were you older.  I was 21 when I attended the first funeral that I actually remember understanding the entire concept.  I felt very detached for some reason, yet very involved.  Not sure how long I should mourn, if I was doing it correctly, so I watched others.  Funny, it seemed like after the first funeral, many more followed.  I attended religious funerals, traditional, non-traditional, funerals for people dying of old age, traffic accidents, but it was suicide that really grabbed my attention.  I began to see death in a whole new light.

I don't fear death.  I don't wish for it any time soon as I have a lot of things I still need to do, but the inevitable does not occupy my mind.  As I write this, a dear friends father passed today and I reflect on death.  He is in a much better place, it was his time and he was rewarded for all of his hard work and dedication to his family.  It is now his time to rest.  We don't mourn for the deceased, we mourn for ourselves.  The lonelines, the void, CHANGE, and finality that seems to go hand in hand with death.  However, if we stop to for miracles in our lives (something we should do each and every day), we will find that they still live around us and through us.  Memories can never be taken away.  Close your eyes and remember, your loved one can be right next to you.  Stop and breathe, live in the moment and you will feel their presence, you will see things that remind you of them, hear a favorite song, smell their perfume/cologne, etc.  And you will know that it is them stopping by to let you know they haven't really left, they have just taken a different form and one day, you will be reunited again. 

Death never has to be final....................as long as you don't let it.