> I'm not really sure what I want to accomplish by writing this, just felt like I needed to do it.
>
> A friend of mine passed away a couple of weeks ago and we had the difficult job of cleaning out her apartment this weeekend. She passed away very suddenly (she was only 23)and being in her apartment was just...strange. It almost felt like we were intruding.
>
> The weirdest thing was that after a short amount of time there, we were laughing and telling stories about her. What started out as a rather somber occasion, soon became a really fun time. I know that sounds weird, but there's no other way I can think to describe it. There were about 12 of us there, and by the time we were finished, every single one of us was hurting from laughing so much. The more I think about it, the more I realize that that's exactly what my friend would have wanted. She had a great sense of humor and if she had been there, she would have been laughing right along with us.
>
> One thing her death has taught me is that you have to live your life to its fullest, 'cause you never know how much time you have. It would have been easier to deal with the death of a grandparent or great-grandparent, but having someone so young taken away is heart-wrenching and leaves you with so many unanswered questions.
>
> I guess the only point I wanted to make was to live life to its fullest. Savor every moment you have.
>
> Kelly

it's become rather amazing to me how many things have lately acted to remind me of the mortality both of myself and of others. your story... the accident i was in a few weeks ago... just yesterday a close friend of mine was in a very bad car accident, although no one was hurt badly, and she also found out soon after her accident that a friend (not close, but in this kind of situation it doesn't matter) of hers had just died.... a good friend of mine (who happens to be the guy i'm still debating whether to ask to winter formal or not) is Type 1 Diabetic, and that's a constant reminder that he is much closer to dying than many of us who are friends with him, even though he's one of the most alive people I know.... it's kind of scary.... death is closer than we like to think.

unipeg