A dear friend of mine had a major heart attack two weeks ago. He’s okay now, although it was touch and go with the EMTs and he was life-flighted to Portland to receive an immediate stent. Thank God for medical science advancements!

This was a major bump in our otherwise mundane existence here on the Southwest Washington coast. Hit us all upside the head with a metaphorical two by four. I can’t imagine the planet without my friend.

Truth be told, I can’t imagine the planet without every one my friends. The fragility of life, the vulnerability of our bodies, the mortality of it all, has affected me at a core level. In a heartbeat, it’s all over.

What will be left undone? What will be left unsaid? Who will we wish we had loved more deeply, held more closely? I can’t even write about this without tearing up. But I can send out this message: Live, Laugh, Love. And don’t ever, ever pass up a chance to hug someone tight.