'.....On Life, Death and Dying'

Every since the deaths of my own parents in '90 and '91, and the death of a very close friend in '97, I have grown very accepting of death, both to it's inevitability and sometimes it's desirability.
My father lived to age 93, and although he enjoyed a spiritual, healthy, and productive life, he realized that many of his faculties had been substantially diminished, and life for him was becoming less of an adventure and more of a chore. My mother who had been married to him for 50+ years, did not want to live a day without him, and passed on to meet him about a year later. In both of their cases, death was desirable. My friend on the other hand, had a very young family, and after being diagnosed with cancer, he did everything in his power to find a cure so he could live to be with his family and see them grow to adulthood. For him, death was inevitable, but not desirable. Having been profoundly affected by each of their transitions, I now have no resistance to the inevitability of eventually dying. From a spiritual point of view, I have the great hope and assurance of seeing them once again in the next life. That prospect alone, fills me with much joy. I live each day now, with thanksgiving and gratefulness for each breath of air, for the heat of the sun and for the light of the moon, and for every one of the many blessings I am enjoying from the hand of our Creator God. So I am not running from the inevitability of this chapter ending for me - in fact I'm looking forward to the next life with much anticipation, hope and delight.