A Beautiful Passing..

Natalie 

Last week was a moment in my life that will go down in history as defining in a spiritual way and also a loving way. I didn't know what to expect but I was honored to be asked to serve as a pallbearer at my cousin Natalie's funeral. Her mother asked me and I had to do it. Work could wait and my own life could also wait in order to witness what turned out to be a beautiful passing...

I didn't know Natalie very well. For whatever reason, time got the best of us in my family where it seems as though some of us are close and others aren't. It's a sad and strange reality when I think about the fact that we all live no more than an hour away from each other yet we rarely visit. Sometimes we bump into each other on the two major holidays but never because one of us said "hey, let's get together.." And now years later, I'm sitting front row with white gloves in my hand serving as a pallbearer and hearing great stories about this young beautiful woman. It's as if I'm meeting her for the first time. She was blessed with a lot of friends. Great friends that took the time to reflect upon their moments with her. Friends from what I noticed, never took a moment spent with Natalie for granted. Their were two young men sitting in the row with me that wept uncontrollably. I cried and yet fought back tears but it was hard, especially whenever I'd look over at Natalie's mother and father; my uncle and aunt. What they must be going through losing their only daughter to cancer. Natalie fought hard and though she lossed to that tough disease she triumphed in her passing. She had the kind of love from friends, family, and her children that we all hope to have and be able to look back on to say "yes, I lived good..."

Last week was powerful... The passing of my beautiful cousin, the powerful memory of something that happened to me, a friday night that makes life worth living, and a friend that decided to leave... And I'm still standing though I intend to say a few prayers and to be thankful for those blessings that have come my way. I learned recently in a very profound way how short life can be and how powerless you will feel when your time comes. Right now I'm livin it up and celebrating the moments that come through the goodness of my heart. I hope my journey continues because I've already touched the place where I'm headed...

Peace & Love...