Monday, February 16, 2015

Grappling with mortality

I found out today that a friend from college passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident on Saturday evening.  We weren't good friends and we haven't spoken in the nearly 12 years since we graduated from college (with the exception of a Facebook comment here and there).  Now I guess we'll never get that opportunity to catch up.

She was young.  She was vibrant.  She had so much life left to live.  And now she's gone.

I guess this is a sobering reminder for me that we don't know how much time that we have left with our loved ones.


4 comments:

  1. Oh, I am so sorry. :( It's always a shocker to hear that someone your own age has passed away, even if you weren't close. You are right, you never know...

    In the summer between my first and second year at university, I ran into a guy I had known from my dorm -- who proceeded to tell me about the deaths of not just one but two people we both knew. One was a guy I knew slightly -- mountain climbing accident. The other was a girl, actually a fairly good friend of mine, the same age as me, who was taken ill suddenly and never recovered. I was completely shocked and found it really hard to believe until we went back to school in the fall and she wasn't there and everyone was talking about it. This was almost 35 years ago, long before social media. She loved sailing, signed my yearbook with a picture of a little sailboat, and I always think of her whenever I hear that song "Sailing" by Christopher Cross, which was very popular around that time. I actually Googled her a few years ago, and her family sponsors a YWCA award in her name -- and there is an annual regatta at her old club that's named after her as well. I was happy to see she is still remembered after all these years.

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    1. It is such a shocker. I've known others my age that have passed away, but they have had cancer or other underlying health issues, but never in such a sudden manner. Not that cancer makes death any less tragic, but it's "easier" in the sense that you have time to prepare for it and process it. It's just sad.

      What a lovely tribute to your friend! I hope that my friend's husband and family will do some kind of tribute fitting for my friend.

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  2. This is very sad - such a sudden, shocking way to go. But yes, as you say, it is a good reminder for us to enjoy whatever time we've got, and to let our people know how much we love them.

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    1. Definitely! Because if you don't let people know you may never get the chance.

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