Dedications

This past weekend, I took my friend to a diversity weekend at Ohio state University, from where she is considering beginning her journey to a law career. I had intended to write all about the very interesting and informative weekend. I'll get to that later.

Last week, just before I left for Ohio, a friend of a friend passed away. She has suffered from an unidentified liver condition since about 15 years ago. 2 liver transplants later, a regular hospital visit where they just unclogged her ducts turned out the terrible news that her liver had completely attacked itself, again. Third liver in a lifetime was where it all gave in. This time it was too late to hope for a transplant. Her liver was attacking itself vigorously, her kidneys failed almost immediately after, and the rest is history. Her body will be cremated following a wake and a service later this week. What will be left of her is her pieces of her first liver, which the doctors are still doing research on in an attempt to identify the cause of her very rare condition.

This morning, I received news that a friend of a friend's sister died in a road accident this past weekend. Let's refer to her as J. The accident was caused by a drunk driver who was driving the vehicle that rammed into theirs. It does make you stop and think. About the many times you watch your friends drive drunk, if not drive drunk or buzzed yourself. 3 of J's friends are in hospital following the same accident. J, the young girl whose life has met an early demise, was one I met over the well known rugby LA weekend this past February. A young energetic, flambouyant character, one who was full of life even where most of us just give in and take a rest. It's hard to imagine her not alive.

It must be at the reception of this news that I've decided to post this. I heard Terry Schiavo's dad on radio this morning, suggesting that the president should have placed his daughter under protective custody while therapy rehabilitated her. I'm beginning to appreciate the power of denial. It has been declared that Terry's brain was half the size of a normal brain at postmortem. I'm going to reserve my judgement of Terry's dad today. I can't believe that J died despite our somewhat brief meeting and experiences together. I keep seeing her walking, laughing and hearing her say what she said to me following a "situation" that arose from a bunch of females being together, "peacemakers and warmongers" created therefore. Thank goodness it was a very nice comment she made of me. I keep wondering if I'd been on the other side of this argument and she had said the opposite of what she said to me. Her being dead now, how would those words have taken on a new meaning, a new sting, maybe a new portion of personality to practice self loathing on.

Maybe we take death too seriously, maybe not, considering its finality. Whichever way, this post is dedicated to two young females, who have completed their journeys on earth, albeit a little too soon. Rest in peace.