This weekend, my Aunt Joy passed away of a heart attack. Almost two weeks ago, a close family friend lost his wife and oldest son in a car crash. There is death across the world and time doesn't stop to acknowledge their lives and what they are leaving behind. In light of these recent passing's, and the tenth year anniversary of our dear friend Levi, I want to reflect on that is; death.

For most of my life, I never thought about what it would be like to die. Whenever I thought about it, I felt/feel nauseous. My head starts to spin and I feel like crying. I still have this reaction to the thought to this day, but some things changed. As I reached the age of 16, I was seeing death in a more mature and open eyed way. When my Uncle Mike passed away, it was like a reality check. I realized that it's real. People die. People die every day. One day my parents will die. My brother will pass on also, along with everyone else in my life. I too will leave this world when my time comes. I firmly believe that we are put on Earth to make a difference. Not necessarily to change the world or to change the way people think, but to make an impact on the people that we come in contact with. Life is a personal affair, not a front page news spectacle. We are born into a world that is already set up for us. Who we will meet is predetermined. It is up to us to decide how we will treat them. Our legacy is the impact we make on those in our life, not our name or what we own or claim. If we live each day to the fullest and make decisions that benefit those around us, rather than ourselves, then we will be remembered in a positive light. Because the only thing that will survive the test of time, is the memories people have of us. No gravestone or material thing will last longer than the legacy we instill in everyone we know. I'm not sure what I think about an afterlife. I guess I've always trusted the idea that our souls are recyclable. That once we are done with one life, we are rewarded with another. I think that my ideas about this will grow once I have a better understanding about my personal faith. For now I relish in the memories of those that I have loved and lost.

Never forget the ones you loved or the ones that changed you.

"And God must be a pretty big fan of 'today', because you keep waking up to it. You have made known your request for a hundred different yesterdays, but the sun keeps rising on this thing that has never been known. Yesterday is dead and over. Wrapped in grace. Those days are grace. You are still alive, and today is the most interesting day. Today is the best place to live."

-Jamie Tworkowski

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