Life Intervenes

Who among us is not touched, this week, by the passing of three icons...Farrah Fawcett, Ed MacMahon, Michael Jackson. Each of us touched in our own personal ways by their stories, the lives they led and lived, and the way in which their life ended. We grew up with the perspective of their public lives, the riches, the glamour, the beauty, the successes, all portrayed by a media that we were inclined to believe. But the deep, real story of each one, the biography that was personal and private, the part that was unknown to us, made them human and vulnerable, just like the rest of us. Some have viewed Farrah's Story, me, I have only seen snippets, much too close to my heart to watch much of it, bringing back memories and triggers that I would prefer to deal with on my own. Most have watched all the news coverage for the last two days of Michael Jackson's rise and fall from fame, and of course, in past months, we have seen what choices in life has done to Ed MacMahon's life. All of this helps us know that no one is immune from what life has to offer, not one of us.

We see how beauty fades, how the rich grow poor, and how, in an attempt to find oneself, we destroy ourselves. We see the importance of one day, of living, of hoping, of making positive changes. We know of the battle each fought, some more valiantly than others, but nevertheless, a battle indeeed. We know of the "good" each one left in the form of a legacy, whether it was the will to live, to seize the moment and live while we feel well, whether it was to make others happy, or to give to charity. Through it all, there is good, even among those who make poor choices or who, through no fault of their own, are given a terminal diagnosis from a raging cancer.

I don't know if I would say that all inspired me, but what I can say is that there is good to take from all of it. And there is that ever transparent notion, once again, right in the forefront, that we are often here today, gone tomorrow. That what we may look like on the outside is not what is going on in the inside. That today is all we have, and if tomorrow brings trouble or diagnosis or pain or sorrow, that we will find a way to respond and face it. We may not react the way others would believe we should, hence, much criticism of Michael Jackson, even Ed MacMahon, and yes, even Farrah Fawcett. But we get to decide what is best for us, and if we falter, make a mistake, face a setback, we get up and we do our best.

So, we find those little snippets of joy to embrace, whether we buy ourselves a big bouquet of flowers for the kitchen table, or take that long anticipated trip, knowing we cannot really afford it, but also knowing that life is extremely precious, or spend time just sitting and savoring a new painting, or do a favor for a friend, or donate to a cause. We pull ourselves up and we ask God to show us a moment of peace and joy, a way to live and keep living, and the good news of the day, is He always comes through. In our case, He left us with a legacy of love and hope in all that our Allison faced, endured, and embraced. Now, nothing can cause us pain or worry, for we have faced the giant, the biggest hurdle, and nothing seems impossible. And He is hoping we all learn the lessons from these three icons who have left us this week, after all, that is what life and death is all about.