Dealing with death

[SDGT3]

You can make more of nearly everything... except time, so make it count.

I debated long and hard about posting here but finally decided there may be many perspectives from others that can help.

This has been a difficult year with friends passing. I always thought that it was something for an older generation, perhaps my parents in their 80's. The strange thing is that they are all parents of my children's sports team. Four this year alone and 5 in all (that I know of) and we're not that old (early to mid 50's). One died in a plane crash, another was a firefighter/paramedic that was 3 months from retirement, had built his retirement home from the ground up on a lake and his two daughters were both pregnant with his first grandchildren, whom he never got to see. Another died of an unknown complication and the 4th this year just died this morning of cancer after having been diagnosed just 3 weeks ago. We had built a good friendship over 15 years and shared the interest of motor racing. We would go watch Grand Prix races together and although he was a mechanical engineer by trade, he was a talent with an air brush and painted several of my helmets and those of my racing friends.

This core group of kids were fortunate enough to be on the same club team together from 7 to 17 year old. As parents on traveling teams, you see each other 2-3 times a week during our kids practice (before the kids start driving themselves to practice) and then weekends for games. You travel and stay in the same hotels for tournaments and the kids play against each other during the high school season. Basically a year round group of people you spend your days, nights and weekends with.

I reached out to try and see him but he was either not feeling up to it or he had taken a fall and went to the hospital. Last night, after I had already gone to bed, his wife texted me and said he was back home and if I'd like to come over and see him. I responded this morning that I could break away for work tomorrow. She texted back today and said he passed away at 6:20 this morning. That's when it hit me... don't put off tomorrow what you can do today because you may not get a second chance. Sorry about the rambling, but just typing this through swollen eyes is therapeutic.