Passing On

Last Sunday I lost my cousin in a head on car accident. He was only 43. He was my cousin and I didn't even know him. He worked at the Safeway that I shop at everyday, and I didn't even know it. I hadn't seen him since we were really young. His own Father died in a similar accident at 46 and we had lost touch. I have thought of him many times over the years, but that was about as far as it went. I feel sad that we never connected. It just shows how life is so short. Here one day and gone the next. My heart breaks for his Mother and younger brother. I can't imagine losing a child or my siblings. It just about killed me when my own Dad died at the too young age of 60. He was an alcoholic and died after a short illness related to his drinking. When you ache with sadness, it is like a giant fist is squeezing the inside of your chest and then later, when all the crying is done, it just feels empty in there. I think of my Father everyday, and I still miss him terribly. Let's treat everyday like it could be our last. You just never know.