This past Monday I realized that my dear friend, Father Dennis, has already been gone for three months. I think about him every day and I miss him terribly. If I think about him too much, or sometimes when I speak of him, I still get emotional. I always valued our friendship and the loss of it adds even more value to it. His death reminds me that much of life is about loss and letting go. Life is always changing. It is never static. As we get older we are sometimes forced to accept loss and we sooner or later must learn to let go and move on. Over the years I have lost friends and family. My wife and I have buried three parents. In a sense I have lost my children too because they have grown up into adults and now have their own lives. My granddaughter is growing up faster than I like. My working life is closer to the end than to the beginning. I, too, am closer to my end than to my beginning. This is a sobering thought. I’ve had to let go of my youth and I sometimes mourn the loss of my youthful energy and enthusiasm. When a favorite musician of mine was told he had terminal cancer someone asked him what he was going to do. He replied, “Enjoy every sandwich”. Even with the challenging realities of life there is still room for joy. I do enjoy every sandwich and, to paraphrase the words of Dr. Seuss, “I don't cry because something is over, I smile because it happened”. I am still sad over the loss of my friend Dennis but my memories of him and our friendship still make me smile.
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