Anniversary!

We celebrated our 14-year anniversary last night with a couple of glasses of champagne. We popped the cork on the 2024 bottle we got for her birthday from Montage Point in Beaufort. My wife doesn’t drink, and I haven’t had anything strong for several months. In other words, I went to bed early. There was a time when I could finish an opened bottle of champagne. I am so much better mentally and physically by staying away from the old habit. 

 

I didn't sleep well either. It felt like I was waking up every two hours to use the bathroom, and I had the strangest dreams. They weren't violent or frightening, just odd. Even in my dream state, I wondered what I ate that might be causing such restless sleep. I got up around 5:30 to use the bathroom, then stayed up to read. I felt miserable and only had an apple and a few grapes for breakfast. I kept asking myself why I was feeling so off, and I had this strange feeling of dread I couldn’t quite explain. 

 

Later today, after a quick fifteen-minute nap, I felt much better and more refreshed. Unfortunately, when I checked my emails on my iPhone, I saw a few texts, including the sad news that my former boss in the appliance business had passed away early this morning. I liked him, even though some of my colleagues at the time didn’t share the same feeling. He was firm yet fair, and I appreciated his approach to business. 

 

He lived a long life, and while I can't say for sure it was perfect, it certainly looked like he had achieved a lot. His high-end appliance business had grown to include several stores; he owned a beautiful home by the lake, and he drove luxury cars—things that generally require a good deal of capital. He shared lavish Christmas parties with his employees. How he lived is his story, just as each of us has our own past. Many of us look back and regret certain choices, but thankfully, many of us have also found ways to grow and become better. 

 

The family is looking forward to celebrating his life soon, while also holding space for the sadness of his passing. Even though many of us have faced the difficult experience of loved ones’ impending passing, we often find ourselves unprepared when it happens, feeling that it’s still so sudden. We tend to overlook the long suffering they endured, but we’re thankful they no longer must suffer and have found peace. While it’s a physical loss for us, spiritually they have gained eternity, offering a different kind of hope and comfort. 

 

It's truly heartfelt to see that, once all condolences are given and life begins to return to normal, family and friends still here might face renewed sadness and longing for their loved ones who have passed. That’s why I choose not to attend funeral services. I prefer my last memory of people I care about to be a happy one. He celebrated his 90th birthday with his former staff, and I enjoyed seeing staff and family members while they were alive, not as a reminder of someone who has passed away. 

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says it best. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”