To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die

A friend died yesterday. His decline was quick, just after Christmas he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme tumour, frontal lobe. From diagnosis to surgery was only a few days and after a week in hospital he came home to recover and prepare for radiation and chemo. I saw him about a month ago talking a slow walk with his wife. We chatted briefly before I fled into a parking lot. The tears were unbidden. The man I knew was gone, the toll of surgery and treatment had weakened him.
He had such an amazing love and gift with people with special needs. He was boisterous, gentle, brash, loving, impulsive, patient; quick with a laugh and had a heart as big as all outdoors. I would have trusted him with my life, our family certainly trusted him with our special needs loved ones.

A few days ago he slid into congestive heart failure, and yesterday he took his last breath.
My heart hurts, he is missed and I offer my condolences to his family.

Today I did communications at a community event. To volunteer kept the heaviness and awareness of death at bay.
So many people today gave their time to help a charity and it was good for my soul to watch them and assist them along their way.
It’s been a tough couple of months personally and sadness pushes without warning to the front of my thoughts. A man I volunteered with online knew he was dying and laid down his work with us with dignity and grace. He slipped away in his sleep. I miss him. Then cancer took my brother. I miss him. My niece began to fight for life with 3rd degree burns on 60% of her body. She went into a systemic crash a few weeks ago, the dedicated dogged medical team pulled her through. She has a long, painful and scary journey to travel. In the shock and stress of his daughters accident, her dads heart went wacky, in stabilizing him, doctors found a mass on one of his lungs. He too faces surgery and treatment.

I have decided to upgrade my skills, study for a needed licence and take the exam in a few weeks. As well I am starting courses so I can improve doing what I do best. Life is sweet and it is short and ordinary people are my heroes. I want to be there when catastrophe stalks and overtakes people who don’t ask for bad things to happen. Floods, fires, power outages, severe weather, anything which displaces communities living routinely one day and dealing with devastation and displacement the next.

I have some studying to do, so blogging will be light the next couple of weeks, I know too I need to grieve fully and well, so I am whole, healthy, balanced and ready to use this training offered me if called upon.

“To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.” – Thomas Campbell