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Radio London Reminds You....



>From: Joe Lewinski
>Subject: Radio London Reminds You....
>
>A good friend of mine dropped dead playing basketball
>last Wednesday.

Jesus.

>Matt was 44 years old, 6' 3" 215, muscular, in what appeared
>to be in remarkable physical condition.   He also had
>undetected heart disease.

Great.  Now I feel *real* good about the McDonalds I had yesterday.
People, get your physicals at least every other year!  Have your Cholesterol
checked!
Eat healthy!

>reminder to his wife and three children of their father.
<snip>
>Matt was an awesome father, husband, and friend.

These days, this has become my worst fear.  That something would happen to
me, and my wife and kid would have to make due without me.
Worse yet that both my wife and I die in a car crash or something.

>The opening hymn was Morning Has Broken (Cat Stevens).
>I knew in my gut that it was one of his favorite songs from
>probably his favorite artist.

Our wake-up song back in Church Summer Camp.

>Kevin, you'll like this part.   He was dressed in his ski coat and
>pants

*SKI* coat and pants?  No, no, NO!  A "two planker"??!  He didn't
snowboard????
(tempted to make a light humored joke about one less skier in the
world......but...)

>and winter slippers that he used to ware on ski weekends.

Ha!  That's awesome.  Your friend sounds like a great character and free
spirit.

>There was also a basketball in the casket with him.
>There was humor along with the heavy sadness.

As it should be.  Life is short, and then you die.  The only room in between
is for laughter and fun.
Joe, I'm deeply sorry about your friends death.
That, in one big nut shell, .... sucks.
Death is such a rude slap in the face.  Particularly when it happens to
someone so young with potentially many years to go.
The pain death causes is unlike no other.  There's no medicine you can take.
Time is the only healer.

>I thought I'd ask If anyone has gone on record with a loved one
>with a requested sound-track to their viewing, funeral, or burial?

I must be the only person in the world who has *never* been to a funeral or
burial.  At age 38, I've never been to a funeral.  That's what happens when
you live in D.C., and your mom's family is in Germany, and your Dad's family
is in Texas and California.
Other than losing my 5yo Chocolate Lab in a fire some 8 years ago, my worst
experience with death was upon hearing of the death of my Grandfather (mom's
side).  I was to see him 2 weeks later at a family reunion in Germany during
X-mas break (Sophomore year in college).  My Grandfather was the *only*
person in my family that I knew that understood me.  I was crushed.
Sitting in my dorm room with a whole bunch of other people that night, table
top covered with empties, I lost it.....