What A Week

It's been a sad past few days, hasn't it. America heard of the passing of Davy Jones, Andrew Breitbart, the tornado victims in Indiana, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, etc. So much tragedy. So much need. We offer prayers and heartfelt sympathies for all involved.

And now yesterday we learned about losing a beloved cousin and good friend.

Around the first of the year his e-mails just stopped one day. He mostly conversed with my Hubby with everything from politics to family life to his new trucking business. Hubby thought, well, maybe he's busy with too much on his plate right now to send an e-mail. Time passed. Life got in the way and we temporarily forgot. Then the other day, Hubby said, "I haven't heard from 'Cousin'. I wonder if something's wrong?" He sent an e-mail. No response. He tried calling their home, then the cell phone, they'd all been disconnected!

Hmmm ... my amateur detective brain took over at that point. Something is afoot. So I 'googled' his name and bingo up popped his obituary! Oh. My. Goodness! Turns out 'Cousin' died suddenly last December. (I've left his name off to protect the family.) To put it mildly, we where shocked for a bit. Nobody had called or let us know. That kind of hurt but then we got to thinking, maybe I'm being selfish and there's a back story to their silence. I did a little more internet researching and found the newspaper article about finding his wrecked truck on the side of the road with a gun shot to his head. Uh huh!! Our dear friend and cousin chose his time of demise. I knew he worried (unduly, in my opinion) about the government and all the nefarious goings on. But that!? That is a pretty drastic measure. I didn't think he was that distraught but it goes to show ya, one never knows what demons one has to deal with. Cousin could write beautifully. He could hold a thought together and weave a story in a way that makes me totally jealous. He was so bright. Such a waste and it’s so sad. We're gonna miss him terribly.

All this tragedy did get me to thinking about something else. What if I 'suddenly disappeared' off the internet? No, I'm not suicidal, in fact, if anyone else says that's what happened it isn't true! Someone done the 'ol girl in if they say I did that. I'm too much of a Polly Anna. In spite of the crap one often gets handed, I like life. I’m a fighter. Nothing like a good scrap for my Scotish-Irish blood! And I'm a chicken and don't like pain but I do have a dodgey heart and I am a bit of a risk taker. Things happen. Poo occurs. But anyway, I personally don't believe many would lose any sleep over my disappearance. I'm not being grouchy, it's just a fact. Most of us go through our daily lives only touching someone for a moment, then they're gone. It's not selfishness on our parts, it’s just the way life is. The strong move on. But I know now I'm gonna make a list of people to be notified "just in case" to be given to a trusted family member. It hurts to learn someone you loved and felt close too, or just knew on the internet, is suddenly gone and one didn't get a chance to send respectful sympathies to the family.

Thought I'd share that thought ... you know ... just in case ...



PS: If y'all make a list too, please add me to it?! Hopefully, we'll never have this situation but life is what it is ...