Death... on the job...A Simplistic Reflection...

I work at a place in which there is a lot of interaction with people. I have members that I report to and I spend a lot of time on the phone and at meetings with these people. Over time, you get to know these folks and you invest a lot of your emotions in how they respond to your actions. It becomes a necessary part of the job.

I also work for a place in which I have to represent a larger contingency of members at events throughout the state and the country.

When people that are important to my job die or relatives of these people die, I generally go on behalf of the group to express our condolences. I go to about 30 or 40 of these a year and it never gets easier with any of them. I am like many people and I just don't like to go to these things. I will never go to a funeral until it becomes a family member or good friend, but I go nonetheless because I almost always know the person that passed away's family.

For each of these passings, I have also typed up the announcement that is sent out to all of our members. I include the information about the funeral home, mass, and church. I feel sorry for the person I know, but for the most part, the information just sort of proverbially goes in one ear and out the other.

However, I recently had to go to a wake for a 48 year old person that I was working with on a monthly basis. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor a few months ago and just sort of waited until it was time to go. On Monday, he passed away.

I am not going to sit and write a tribute to him here as I didn't know him too well, but I knew him well enough that his death has affected me in a way I wasn't expecting.

As most of you know, I was recently married and I began muh new life with muh wife. We have a great life and are still enjoying the fun, simple nights and each other's company. I can't imagine what would happen one day if I came home diagnosed with a brain tumor. What would I do... what haven't I done? What things would I want to do that I would never do... ? Although we recently purchased some life insurance and have begun our savings for retirement... these questions seem beyond the scope of my ability to comprehend.

So many questions ... so many without answers...

I guess I will do what I always do... Hope that I am prepared and if I am not... wing it... most of all of you probably do the same thing too...