I have personally lost a brother two years ago and my father this January... If there's anything that I've learned, it's to go ahead and let it all out. Cry if you want to. Being a real man is not about being emotionless - not even close. When my brother died, I tried to find a way to blame him ('cause I didn't want to face my own mortality) for dying young. I was in the room with my dad (he was at home with hospice) and I'll never take breathing (the sound) for granted again. Sometimes even now when I am putting my year and a half old son to sleep when I listen for his breathing (to let me know he's falling asleep), I go right back into the death vigil my family was keeping over my dad - listening to his breathing to see if he was still alive. It gets too intense for me sometimes, but I'm working my way through it. Time helps, but there is always a sincere sadness and void that follows the death of a loved one.

I still miss the cat I had when I was a kid and I still remember vividly the day he died. Time has sort of healed that. I now have two cats and I treat them like gold 'cause I know they most probably will die before I do. It's the life process. I like to listen to the Cat Stevens song "Oh, very young" as therapy... "we're only dancing on this earth for a short while..."

Kid (after killing a man for the first time) - "Well, I guess he had it coming..."
Clint - "Drink up kid, we all got it coming"

Seeing how this is the Religion, Philosophy and Metaphysics section, I feel that it is a pleasant thought that I may be reunited someday spiritually with all of the "entities" that I have loved... I wouldn't really care for heaven if my cats weren't there ;-) . I have two cats that I've raised from very tiny kittens and I dread the day that one of them will die. I don't think any death is different from any other. For the living, it means "end of story", "chapter closed" now get on with it... There is no appeal process, nada. It's just final, move on.

On the metaphysical side, I like to think when I go that people will be sad but will move on quickly as their lives are short as well - only so many seconds, so many minutes, so many days... I think I'd like a New Orleans style send off myself. I'm rambling now... Hang tough and when your ready, get another cat. He won't replace your old buddy, but he will become a new one.

And who is this Dan fellow anyway, deSitter? Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more, say no more... Really dOn't Say Stuff like that! Let's UNderStand FOR every Day you do, you are being more cryptic... DAd oNce told me that we REally Can't Know who we truly are... Enough!!!

Yeah, I like the song Idiot Wind about the best too... I just relate more to being Tangled Up In Blue...