Dealing with the pain

There has been a lot of death in my life lately, some not directly related to me, but some that hurts a lot. Last friday there were two tragedies in Phoenix. Two news helicopters crashed into each other killing both pilots and on the same day a Phoenix police officer was killed trying to make a shoplifting arrest. Although these instances are not directly related to me, it is still painful especially when the funerals are aired on tv and I see the pain that the family and friends are experiencing. On a more me-related note, a member of my family passed away last night. Our pet cockatiel Larry Bird deceased around 11:30 pm and maybe whoever reads this may think, "so what its just a stupid bird..." but if you have a pet at home and love them like they are a brother or a sister you understand. My brother and I received Larry as a birthday gift in 1997 and it is a big deal to lose a pet after almost 10 years. My freshmen football coach/jr high PE teacher passed away a few weeks ago, and I was unable to make it to his funeral. I also received word that a family friend from an old church of ours passed away recently and this was hard to deal with because he was like a grandfather to us. This may seem like just a bunch of rambling to most, but I just felt like I needed to get some stuff off my chest. To all of you mentioned, I hope that you are looking down upon us, watching over us with God up in heaven. I would like to leave you with this, "If we live in hearts we leave behind, then we will never die." That is a quote from one of my favorite bands that broke up a few years ago. Larry, Coach Pete, and Evrett: I will never forget you guys and I just want to thank you for what you meant to me and the impact you had on my life. May God bless the families of some of Phoenix's finest as they go on without those they lost...