Death is a very difficult thing.

Today I got a call from my sister. Her friend passed away today.

Our family has been very fortunate that we have not dealt with death of an immediate family member. My dog whom I had since childhood passed away a year and a half ago. That had been extremely difficult. I still feel the twinge in my chest just thinking about it.

When I started working for my current company, there were three deaths in the first five months. One who had been a coworker before I arrived, and two who had been spouses of my colleagues. Though it did not directly relate to me, I caught a glimpse of the anguish and suffering one goes through when dealing with a loss.

As I get older, I know that it's only a matter of time until death starts to hit closer to home. Already I worry about my grandparents getting older, which makes it extremely difficult considering their on a different continent. Sometimes I wonder if I've seen them for the last time, but at the same time I am hopeful I'll get another chance.

You never know what's going to happen. I've heard the saying that life is short, and it's only starting to sink in now. It's funny how one's death can bring on a wave of gratitude for the life we still have. It's all so bittersweet.

I write this post because I feel the need to remember this kind man who was my sister's friend.

He was tall and slender, with a jolly laugh that could be felt. Just being around him you caught his infectious positivity. I met him when I was twenty-two. He visited Seattle with my sister during my first trip to the city. Instantly he made you feel welcome. He made sure you were included, even if he had just met you. He didn't particularly like dancing, but he loved to talk, and always had a smile.

The last time I saw him was a month after that visit at my older sister's wedding. He was jubilant as ever, full of life as he went from one table to the next greeting all those he knew. He jested with me and my unmarried sisters that he would be at our own weddings too one day. Though he never meant it seriously, I now know that we would not.

I cannot imagine how my sister feels at the loss. Even more so, I cannot even fathom what his own family is going through. My heart goes out to them and all who knew him.

Though I didn't know him well, I am glad I got the chance to meet him. If there is a heaven, then I am comforted in the thought that he is there and no longer suffering.