On Passing...

A friend's grandmother just passed away, and less than a week ago, a college friend's father passed after a prolonged fight with illness. It feels that I am sending condolences with more frequency than earlier years, and I believe that it is an omen of things to come. This coming of age is one that we seldom like to think about, but an eventuality for everyone, I suppose. As we age, so too do our loved ones - those who nurtured and reared us, gave us their habits, memories, advice, and hearts.

Life, in all its complexity, beauty, and grace, does not prepare us for this. How can we even imagine life without the very ones who brought us into this world, spending so much of their own lives to make sure that we had a fighting chance? Even as I look forward to the future and endless dreams, I fear the months and years to come, for the clouds loom heavily upon the horizon.

UPDATE
I think the same day that I wrote this post, I got an email from a high school friend that his mother had passed away the week before. It is surprising how quickly these things have been coming on.