Waking Up Me!

I am wondering about death. About life. Can life be as rich i f we don't know the sorrow and loss of death? That is where I am right now in my pondering. When someone close to you starts to en ter the end stages of li fe, it makes you think much more about li ving and the time you do have left with the m. Not knowing how long they may have left makes me desire more time wi th them in my life. My grampy died 10 years ago last month; he was one of the most signif icant pe ople in my life since bir th . He had been close to death a number of times from num erous ailments probably precipi tated by his eating, drinking, and smo king habits, but he always seemed to rally . He was a stubborn old man with a will of i ron. Still, his body gave out on him, and death took him . I remember exac tly where I was when the call came from my Uncle Matt t o tell me. I said, "I' m not ready for him to be dead." He asked, "Would you ever be ?" Of course the ans wer was no. ...