A butterfly lights besides us like a sunbeam. And for a brief moment it’s glory and beauty belongs to the world. But then it flies once again, and though we wish it could have stayed, we feel so lucky to have seen it.
I lost a good friend nine days ago. The shock and dismay was far worse than any I’ve suffered before. I’ve lost quite a few relatives and friends in my life and a couple of them were really rough passages for me. Only losing one of my children could be worse. Ironic that I had just written about friends here on this blog 12 days before. I told another friend that, with this latest loss, I thought myself a better person. It had taught me a big, big lesson, but I’ve since struggled with changing my mind. I sometimes wish I could go back to being the other Rick, with my friend still here, my emotions in-check, forget the lesson! What sustains me in times like these is my unshakable faith that death is but a comma in the continuum of life, ie. life exists beyond the grave. I’m thankful, better yet, so very grateful for it.
(more…)
Stories I Share With Friends 