I’ve been thinking a little about sadness today.  It’s amazing to me how many different levels of sadness there are.  And it blows me away that no matter what level you are in, there are always deeper levels of sadness and, the natural opposite of that, more shallow levels.  It’s not that these ‘shallow’ levels aren’t as sad.  They are just different.

Today is the first day Kristin and I are realistically looking at taking our dog of 11 years in to be put down.  He’s at a point where he hasn’t eaten in three days, can barely walk and doesn’t even lay comfortably.  I’ve talked to the vet, they recommend bringing him in when we are ‘ready’.  I’m not sure we’ll ever be ‘ready’, but there’s a sadness in choosing when to end his life.  Sadness.

A friend I went to High School with is burying her dad today.  He had a long bout with cancer and it finally got the best of him and he passed last week.  This same friend has a sister 2000 miles away, unable to travel to the funeral because she’s having a baby.  Today.  The very day of her own dad’s funeral.  Words can’t even describe the emotional conflict going on in that house.  The mom unable to be there for the daughter as she’s giving birth.  The daughter unable to be there with the rest of her family as they lay her dad to rest.  The joy of new life, and the ache of saying goodbye.  Sadness.

Seems like this life is full of it.  And there’s no way around it.  I wish I had some inspirational thing to write on here, but I don’t.  If you’re a praying person, offer one up for our friends in California.  I’m sure they could use it.