A Kiss Good-bye

There have been way too many funerals lately. I'm sure there are always funerals going on. But it just seems like more have touched me more closely lately than ever before. Maybe it's because as I get older, everyone else does, too, and so of course there are more funerals. But where it hurts to lose someone like your grandparent, who you expect to not have around forever, it's almost unbearable to lose someone your own age.
My cousin lost her husband last week. A car wreck and he was gone. I was numb. It's not even like we talk much or stay in touch, but still ... she's family. And I just kept thinking, what on earth is she going to do? What would I do? She has three children who now don't have their daddy around. I can't even imagine. But it breaks my heart when I start to think about it. My husband is my right hand. We're raising our family together. He's the main paycheck. And he's the one who holds me when I cry. Or lets me talk about thoughts and ideas. Or assures me that whatever I just wrote isn't as bad as I think it is.
We have a rule that he always needs to come kiss me good-bye before he leaves to go anywhere, even if I'm still in bed because he leaves ridiculously early to go to school. On the rare occasion he forgets, my whole day is thrown off. Confronted by the sad news, I made sure to hug him a bit more when he got home. I tried to not gripe as much about little things that don't really matter. I snuggled him a few extra minutes before sleep. Because, even when he drives me crazy, I love him. And I am not ready to lose him. Maybe that means I need to work a bit more on my faith and my Christian attitude -- aren't we all supposed to be ready to celebrate whenever someone goes to heaven? Maybe so, but I don't want to face this world without him.
So, send up a prayer for all those who have lost loved ones recently. And give your own loved ones an extra hug. Cherish every moment you get with them because there will never be enough. And always kiss your spouse good-bye.