Life is too short...

Last week, a young man from our church passed away. He was young, kind, and healthy, and shockingly killed by hidden heart disease. A few days later, a Stamps-Baxter friend passed away. He was older, and had dedicated his life to singing Gospel music and loving his family.

I've been avoiding my blog.

Somehow, telling you about a great rehearsal, or the fact that I'm subbing in for the Chorale lead, or my new site seemed unimportant, trivial.

Saturday morning, I attended the young man's funeral. As I sat in the pew, I grieved for both men. I grieved yet again for my own Steve. I cried and ached for the people around me and in the States who are hurting so much.

I felt helpless - what can I offer my friends who are in so much pain?

And a few answers came to mind:

I can sing.

I can pray.

I can offer a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, the few lessons I've learned from my own experiences of grief.

And I can learn.

I can learn from the best of these men - to be generous and loving to my family - to live each day to the fullest - to make music with my friends - to live my life with honour, respect, holiness.

Such basic lessons, but in the day-to-day dealings of traffic and bills and taxes and issues, we forget.

Life is fragile and short.

So, live joyfully - love abundantly - sing boldly - and never miss a chance to walk in the rain, smile at a baby, dance to your favourite song, or indulge in fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies...