Sad Day

Like millions of other folks, I just finished watching Michael Jackson's Memorial Service. It was very touching and well done. I would have preferred not to cry through it so much, but knowing a family is in pain and grieving flashes me back to the losses I've suffered in my own life. I know what the family is going through and how painfully the death of a family member reshapes that family. It will never be the same again. There will always be a sense of something missing from now on. It really sucks. It's only from "this side" that you realize how insignificant all the stupid fights were and how you never cherished being together as much as you should or could have. The heartbreak of what will never be again ripples out in small waves that rise and fall for the rest of your life.

I hope we all learn from yet another loss, but I fear we won't. Life really IS too short and it can end at any moment of any day. I'm reminded not to sweat the small stuff, or any stuff, for that matter. If you really think about it, we're all just star dust. One day all of this-and I mean ALL of it: Mankind, the Earth, the Sun. It will all be gone and be reshaped into something else. Just as there were millions of years before any of us walked upright or began to make our mark on Humanity, all that has passed has faded into nothingness. That's where we're all headed, too. None of us will live on forever.

The key is: to be OK with that and to enjoy the Ride...truly LIVE your life.