life is shorter than you thought...

picture this..... a calm stream in which we can reflect on our own lives.
can we be more? do more? love more? share more? hug more?

i got a call from my sister anne yesterday morning.
regrettably, the call you never EVER want to get.
i could tell from the moment i said "hello", that something was wrong.
she said, "joe died."
joe is/was :( her brother-in-law...her husband's older & only brother.
it was one of those tragic, sudden and completely out of the blue deaths.
he would have turned 45 in september....crazy either way, really.
apparent heart attack. i'm just beside myself. i'm sad, i'm angry,
my god I'm 44!!!!!
i can say with great honesty that joe was loved...he was loved.
his mother, his sisters (3 in all), his brother, his sister-in-law,
nieces and nephews.....and members of my own family will miss
him dearly and completely.
i've been digging all day through my archives to find a photo, any photo
of joe to post but i've come up empty. i'm so sorry.

one thing i know for sure is that i have made efforts in my life to
ensure that something like this doesn't happen to me!
(another sign of age i'm told)
i guess that doesn't necessarily mean that it can't happen, but
i rest easier knowing that i've made choices in my life regarding my
health that from what i'm told will extend mine (God willing).
now i'm certainly no expert on living & dying nor do i profess to be so...
i only pray that the people in my life might sit up, take notice, and
begin to consider making changes to extend theirs.
i'll miss joe and i pray that he, at some point in his life, came
to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

pete and anne plan to go ahead with the party today and i think
that rather than celebrating all of the birthdays we'll will be
celebrating joe's life.
it will be a gathering day for all of us and we will find joy.

to joe's family i want to extend my ( & gary's) heartfelt sympathy.
if i could attach a song..i'd select "remember me" by mark schultz.

all my love, susan

p.s. a bright spot yesterday.......hobie got his tube out.