Sun Porch

I've spent most of this afternoon in the sunshine, soaking up its goodness with my neighbor Aaron, plus my roommate and Stefan. It's an incredibly beautiful day.

But even on the most beautiful days, we can't escape life. I received a call that my good friend Chuck, who lived in Myrtle Beach, passed away this weekend. I knew he had cancer and struggled with it, but I had no idea he was about to leave us.

Fortunately, Chuck led a robust life. He had many children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He had lots of friends--some of them young women like myself and my friend Amanda. He had a zest for life that a lot of almost-eighty-year-olds can't match. I used to visit him at his condo whenever I was in the area. He was always hospitable, inviting me inside for a cup of coffee or making me a snack. "Help yourself to whatever you'd like," he'd say. Then we'd spend hours talking about life, the news, his family, or whatever struck us. We had a lot of laughs on those afternoons.

 So I feel peaceful with his passing, yet I do wish I'd had the chance to have one last discussion with him on his sun porch.

I'll miss him this summer when I visit Myrtle.