December 22, 2016

• Looking Shocked

  Yesterday was a hard day. My friend and coworker, Mr. Fudd, received a phone call just before noon. It was to tell him that his older brother had died. He was only 48. The preliminary cause is assumed to have been a heart attack. He didn't have any history of heart problems. He woke up feeling ill. Got out of bed and made it to the hallway before collapsing. He died at the hospital not long after the ambulance delivered him to the emergency room. He leaves a wife and 2 daughters. Mr. Fudd was distraught. He came to my office to let me know that he wouldn't be back to work until after the holidays. Struggling with his own emotions, he confided that he was the one that was going to have to go tell his parents the bad news. This is going to be the most difficult thing he has had to do in a very long time. It will be devastating for his parents and he was afraid it might precipitate a health crisis especially for his mother. I have been writing about the helplessness when there are losses and now this news. It just reinforces my feelings that all things are temporary. Our lives are transient. I want to make sure that I savor the days I have and embrace the beauty of this life. We can dwell on the negative and all we will see is the ugly parts of the world and human nature. Instead I want to look beyond the violence and hatred and see the divine spark in each person. I want to look for the good and see the love in the world. I'm not saying we should ignore hurt, but we can't let that part of living blind us to the beauty of life.

  • 6:35 am
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