...and now for some sad news

Angela's father passed away on the 18th. Angela tells me that by some miracle they were able to bring him back from the brink long enough for the whole family to gather so he could say his goodbye's and they could say theirs. My heart goes out to Angela right now, and to the rest of her family.

Saying goodbye to loved ones seems to be a recent development on my radar. A dearly beloved family friend was taken suddenly while enjoying himself on the beach with his wife and two youngest sons. The memorial service is happening today, and I am sad that I will not be able to be there to remember the wonderfulness that was his life with the rest of the community back home. I almost collapsed when I initially learned of the news... and then alternated between feeling completely normal and sobbing uncontrollably. I seem to have settled into a simple pace of moodiness and irritability for the time being, though I hope that will wear off soon.

Now that Angela's father has passed, she will be facing these feelings as well... only more so, because this was her Dad. The man who raised her. The pillar of her family. A leader in her community.

My Dad has made me swear that when he goes, instead of holding a sad event in his honor, we will instead put on a grand roast and have a fabulous time at his expense. I guess it is in that spirit that Angela will continue with the triathlon that we have signed up to do. She will be finishing the race in her father's name, and I will be finishing the race to be there for her as well as to honor her family.

I guess our timing for signing up for this event is good. It will give Angela an outlet to channel her feelings and it will help me to feel like I'm part of something important.