Winter Death

A man died. A man, that I knew. A man that went to the same school as I did, and rode the same bus to and from school each day as I did, and graduated in the same year (1983) as I did. A man, who as a boy, stayed over night at my home at one of my birthday parties, at which another boy threw up, down the stairway. A man who stayed close to home, as I did, after school. A man who I would see occassionally, and who would take the time to stop and talk with me. A man who once offered to help me find a job at his company when I was struggling to get my career started. This man died, suddenly, without illness, without warning, without finishing his life. I will not bump into him any longer at the supermarket, or hear about him from mutual aquantences. I will not see him at the next high school reunion. I went to the funeral home, where his body was laid for viewing. I stood in a long line to say my last words, and pay respects to his family. I thought I would recognize some of the faces. I thought I would see people from school, or people that we both knew, however I didn't recognize any of them, and I was overwhelmed. As I looked over the long line and I realized that this man had touched many, many lives, other than mine. Many of those lives touched more profoundly than mine. I made my way slowly to the front, and I looked that the pictures, the flowers, and the people. I stopped short of the casket, and was greeted by his older sister, whom I didn't know. We talked briefly, and she said his death was quick and painless. I stopped at the casket and said good-bye, and whispered that I was sorry we didn't know each other better. I told his father, mother, and brother that I was truly sorry for their loss. Then I left quickly. I was ashamed... I was ashamed that this man was in my life, every day for over 10 years when we were going to school, and I didn't take the time to get to know him. I did know from the few times we spent time together he was a good man, with a great heart. A man who would give his last dime if it would help you. I didn't know his family, and I didn't know if he had a wife, kids or other loved one. How could I have been so selfish as to not know more about such a good person? A person who I literally grew up with! I am 39, and soon to be 40, and I realizing that even though I have been around for more than a couple of years, that life is really short, and you should live it to the fullest... You can't know the future. You don't know whether you have 50 years, or 50 minutes of life left... So live! Take the time to get to know that person who's on the edge of your life, and it will make your life bigger! Later Lou I cannot change the past, but I can learn from it.