Family, Friends, and a Funeral

We buried a childhood friend on Saturday. 

Lee was a younger sister of my best high school chum.  I grew up in their house as much as in my own.  She smoked too much and drank too much, but it was debilitating scoliosis, severe corrective surgeries, chronic pain, a fall, and pneumonia that killed her.  The funeral was well attended by many friends I have not seen in 30 years.  We all regretted we had to become reacquainted under such circumstances, but we were comforted by each others' company.  Lee was but 50 years old.  She will be missed.

We also attended a welcome home reception for our nephew Jarrad who has just returned from a tour with the Air Force in Afghanistan.  Home and dry, he is much the same young man to left us to travel halfway round the world to do his duty.  He is a little leaner, a little wiser, and he cusses with much greater ease.  We are honored by Jarrad's service but we are selfishly grateful he is out of harm's way.

These past few days I have pondered our lives, our friends, our families, what's important, what isn't.  My thoughts lead me nowhere profound, but my emotions are telling me to live today, help today, do the right thing today, be who you want to be today.  We only get one shot at this and the clock is running.