Sadness

Today has been a day of sadness and loss. My co-worker Fred's dear wife, Lucy, lost her valiant fight against cancer early Saturday. I learned of her passing this morning. She was a courageous woman who battled cancer valiantly for 17 years and offered me words of encouragement and hope when I needed it most. What is so difficult is knowing how much Fred loved her and will miss her because it was evident and everyone at work knew it. I am praying for Fred and his family and hope that they will find comfort in each other during this difficult time. It is my sincerest hope that Lucy is in heaven and is suffering no more.

My office was again saddened to learn of the sudden death of another co-worker. Vickie didn't show up for work this morning, and someone called to check on her and heard the terrible knews that she had passed away. She didn't show up for Thanksgiving and her family went to her house to check on her and found her. I am shocked as I just spoke to her on Tuesday. Vickie had been helping me to resolve a problem I've been having with my flexible spending account plan and had in fact finally resolved the problem the week before.

Both of these events reinforce how short life really is and we never know how long or short it can be. Make every second count. I caught Alicia Keys on the Tyra Banks show on our tv in the lunchroom at work today and one of the lines from her new song is, "Love me like you'll never see me again" and it really strikes a chord with me. The whole song is beautiful and poignant.

I saw a poem this morning on my cancer online discussion forum. It's by e.e. cummings. I never liked cummings in college because I usually couldn't understand his style or get his meaning most of the time, but the poem speaks to me and my own personal story of surviving cancer.

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
-e.e. cummings