Friends

Today I received my first holiday card. It was from a dear friend and her 7th grade daughter, and their photo on the card was one of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. I was overcome with emotion. They looked radiant. Authentic. Alive. Ruth's husband had died earlier than year.

This reminded me of a friend who's sister died a week after her 45th birthday. What do we know about this sudden death? I know she had been on a high on life phase for about six months. I know that she had been talking to her mom, very much upset and fearful about the future. I know that minutes later she had crashed into the side of a cement wall off the freeway.

Was it an accident? Was it deliberate? Was it the divine saying "you've suffered enough, come home?" We won't know and it's not even that important to know. What I think is more important, is to choose joy, find joy, remind ourselves of the miracle of life on earth. To appreciate what is given, surrender what is "taken" and remember that life on earth is a transient thing.

And yes, that "friend" was me.