Well, this is a heckuva topic for this close to Christmas, but earlier this week I learned that yet another member of my extended family has died and I guess that's what got me thinking.
So far this year, I've lost an aunt (my dad's sister) and two cousins on my dad's side of the family. That's a lot for my family of long-livers! My dad's sisters and brothers are rapidly disappearing...out of nine children, only one, a sister, is left. While I realize this is a normal part of life and bound to happen, I'm not really ready to let go of my family! I don't imagine anyone is, so that's not some great profound thought that everyone reading this will want to write down. I suppose, though, that like many people, I thought my family would go on forever and live to be very old. When you consider that both of my deceased cousins were only in their 50's and 60's....well, that's not old - at least, not by my standards!
What has also sparked this rather mournful monologue is that today is the 35th anniversary of my dad's funeral. He was only 57 - much too young to pass away! Up until two days before he died, I still believed he'd get better and come home from the hospital. You have to realize that I was only 21, newly married, and "young and dumb" doesn't even begin to describe how I was back then - hence the delusion that my dad was too strong to pass away at such an early age. It was my neighbor, with whom I was staying at the time (in my 4th year of college), who gently sat me down and told me my dad would never go home.
The upshot of all this is that (1) never take your family for granted as you never know what will happen and (2) cherish your family and friends as much as possible!
That's my sermon for today - aren't you glad I waited this long to post again? Have a wonderful Merry Christmas!
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