It is better to burn out, than to rust out

In the immortal words of a friend recently passed. It is better to burn out, than to rust out.

Our friend Karen recently passed away after a three year battle with colon cancer. We attended a memorial for her last evening. I have been to many memorials in which it is said to be or intended to be a celebration of life. This was the first that kept that promise and to me, today, it was life changing.

Karen was 49 years old when she died. She had spent 33 years of that time with her husband Fred. They were like bookends. There was never a mention of Karen without Fred, or vice versa. They were entwined so tightly that it was as if they were one person. Fred gave her eulogy. It was a magnificent tribute to the love of his life. How he kept it together I will never know. Perhaps the cancer had prepared him for the moment.

Karen had a love for life. She loved everthing about it and I can honestly say that she lived her life to the fullest. Every single moment of every single day. I can't remember a time that she was not smiling or laughing. What an amazing soul. She wanted to die on her own terms and she did. Cancer did not change Karen. In the end, she burned out, like a candle at the end of it's wick, still bright, still...Karen.

Mostly, I was touched by the Karen and Fred dynamic. It is a bit like us really, though we tend to spend more time apart and do have separate interests and friends. I was just struck by the thought of Fred, surviving. How will he? How would I?

Today I love more deeply than I did yesterday. I intend to appreciate life more fully. Try harder. Love who I am. And most importantly, thank God for each breath. Thank you Karen for sharing yourself with us. Goodbye friend.