Who made this, and when?  How long will it last?  Will I see it tomorrow?  How fleeting are our constructs, how fleeting our lives.

My family — and many others — suffered a loss yesterday.  It was a surprise, a shock, unexpected; we are still in the “I don’t believe it” stage.  I lost my “oldest boy cousin,” apparently to a heart attack.  He and his wife visited us ten days ago; I called him just last week to wish him a happy birthday, his 66th.  We spent our summers together; he and his brother were my sister’s and my “summer brothers.”  We adore our summer cousin/brothers and will have many stories to recall when we gather this weekend.

It does feel like “Life is but a walking shadow…”  Yet when we recognize and honor the substance, the joy, the sparkle, and the love that substantiate that shadow, we give our words and our beings their deepest meaning.