death
The Blind Lady Who Looked At Pictures
An old friend of mine, who I have not heard from in a long time, called me recently and left a message on my voice mail to call him back. When I checked my messages I was surprised to hear from him after so many years.
I asked him how he got my number, since I have not talked to him for so long. Apparently he ran into my brother John at the gas station and asked him for my number. We made some small talk at first, and then told me he had some sad news – Sharon had passed away.
Sharon is my cousin and I was very shocked to hear this! But he quickly realized his mistake and pointed out that it was in fact not my cousin; he was referring to Sharon “the blind lady with the pictures”. Oh man, I have not seen her since my childhood, I exclaimed. Continue reading
The Mystery Of Mom’s Silverware
It’s been almost 19 years since my mother passed away and today I can still remember as if it was yesterday. I have wonderful memories of her, from her making her little cherry pies to Sunday dinners.
When I lived at my parents house there was a silverware set that I wanted, and nothing else. That was it. As a child I would rearrange this silverware set when she was not looking. I would place the forks where the knives were supposed to go, and I swapped the bigger spoons with the smaller ones.
The cutlery set was mounted on the wall and every time I did this she would get upset with me, because she had to put them back in order again. I continued this silly game into my adulthood, as childish as it may seem. After she passed away I didn’t know what happened to the silverware set and I ask my dad about it. He said, “Your sister had it and she was going to put it in the yard sale.” I was naturally very upset. I wanted something that I can look at when I was at my parents home and picture my mother pretending to get upset with me when I would rearrange her precious set. Continue reading
The Mass Extinction of Man
There are those who believe we may be facing extinction as a species – if we don’t change our ways. This idea is not as far-fetched as it may seem. The mass extinction of entire plant or animal families is something that has happened on several specific occasions in history.
The most well-known of these extinction events is the end of the ‘golden age of the reptiles’, when most of the dinosaur species disappeared. The small percentage that survived ultimately became the bird species that today still roam our planet. I have often wondered about the fascination children all over the world seem to have with dinosaurs. It is a subject that is a source of great enthusiasm for both boys and girls. Could it be that they intuitively remember the past, that the traumatic events of that time remains ingrained in our DNA to this very day? Continue reading
Can Oxygen Help To Prevent Cancer?
Six years ago this week, I sat with my mother as she took her last breath. She died of brain cancer. She went to the doctor with a massive headache. They ran some tests, and she was told that she had fourth stage brain cancer, and had only three weeks to live.
Last night, in the exact same Hospice Center, six years after her death to the day, I sat with my life-long, dear friend and roommate of six years, as he was taking his last breaths. He too is dying of cancer at the age of 37. This cancer was also detected about three weeks ago. After only two chemotherapy treatments, the doctors said it was useless. He was then transferred to the Hospice Center to die.
Last month, my cousin went to the doctor complaining of pain in his groin area. He was admitted to the hospital for tests. They found fourth stage cancer and he died four days later. Continue reading