Great post . Exactly my feelings.

I lost a champion man yesterday. 93 years old, one of the famous Rats of Tobruk, who fought the first action which stopped the Germans, Rommell, in Africa. He died peacefully in his sleep after a life lived large. I was my priveledge to know him.

No one is getting out alive. But I wonder why we are kinder to our pets than our loved ones, at the end.

survivor
 

Death saddens me...I have mourned over to many losses and I fear for how those near me will grieve when I die.

I am 41, a son, a father, a husband, a brother and a man with many loved acquaintances and a hand full of truly amazing close friends. I have fought for life and now live with the emotional and physical pain left from this battle.

I know the cancer that once tried to take me away from this amazing life is still inside my body, waiting for its next chance to take me...I will fight (or, die trying!!).

One moment I am cocky and walk tall, proclaiming that these are my cards and I shall play out my hand as dealt to me. The next moment I can be overcome with fear and anxiety...a condition for which I now get mind numbing medication for.

I want to live this life...right now! For it is the only one I know for sure exists! I don't want to leave any time soon! So much more to do......

Thanks "D" for such a great thread, reading what some of you have to say is soothing and uplifting. Perhaps one day soon I will be able to make peace with my mortality and that will be the greatest victory this life has in store for me.

And when they bury me, they can put on the gravestone, 'This was a big waste of time.'


I just love this line from "The Middle Of The Night"

the Pets need & have a spokesman..
BTDT..because I wanted to end suffering..

folks seldom make their wishes known ahead of time..
then something happens and it's all in the air..
what to do..what would they want..
what do the folks standing there want..
my Mom refuses to talk about it..
believing it will hasten the event..

Rika

I had the traditional western world view of death up until last year. My best friend since we were teenagers died after a long struggle with MS.

Watching someone you care about that the same age as you deteriorate at a rapid pace taught me something incredibly important about how "raging against the dying of the light" can be overrated. Of course you never give up, but as any poker player can tell you it's also a skill to know when to fold.

Since he passed away I have reached a state of peace and understanding about death. As I never received the gift of faith I never had the crutch of an afterlife to calm my fears, but that's OK.

My goal is simply to live right up until I die. This is not facetious, this is a serious goal and something that is not that easy. I'm doing more things that I've been putting off. I'm balancing pleasures with responsibilities better than I have in the past. I no longer hope for a long life (although I'll happily take it!), my sole hope these days along those lines are that I don't outlive my children.

Larry King and some celeb were joking about their tombstone epitaphs on one of the last episodes of 'Larry King Live'. 'Larry King Dead' was my first thought.

"Here Lies Lester Moore, 4 Slugs From A 44, No Les, No More" ..Tombstone AZ Grave Marker

My Mom was disinterested, right up to the end. Meh, won't be long now, was pretty much her attitude. But she wasn't anxious to go.

Maybe a month or so before she died she told me, I had the craziest dream before I woke up this morning. Larry, Joe and Frank (who lived at her facility and had all recently died) were in my bedroom trying to convince me to come have coffee with them.

She laughed and said, I'm not ready to go just yet! And I certainly don't want to have coffee with those guys!

Don't miss any of those Thursday dinners Rika. SmileWavy