Sad Thoughts

This morning I went to a funeral. It was a woman I didn't know very well but was the founder/director of the Rape Crisis Center here in town that I volunteer for. She spent her whole life as an advocate for other people, encouraging them to enable themselves. She died suddenly on Monday, and today her son was scheduled to deploy to Iraq for the Navy. He will still go to Iraq, and now his father will worry alone, without the support of his long time wife and friend. She was 62.

As I sat in the funeral service, I looked around and saw other older folks, and young ones like me who were more than likely volunteers for the center as well. For a long time I have looked at life as a series of stages or phases, if you will. High school, college, professional development, marriage, parenthood, retirement, grandparenthood, older age, etc. There have been times when I felt as though every time I turned around I had a wedding shower/lingerie shower/wedding to go to. Then it felt like every time I turned around I had a baby shower to go to. And I wondered today if those older folks feel like every time they turn around they have a funeral to go to. What a depressing feeling that must be. To be at a point in your life when long time friends and loved ones start to pass. It made me so sad but yet so thankful that I am not at that point in life. I want to cherish this time when I am young and healthy and I am free to go and do what I want. I know what it feels like to not be able to do that and to have your every move watched and accounted for. I am so glad to be free. I have a lot to cherish in my life and all the time I am more aware of how fast time goes by. I mean, our 10 year reunions for high school are only a year away. That blows my mind. I hope you cherish what you have and that you love every one in your life as much as you possibly can. It is days like today that make me remember.