June has been a bit of a rough month. I knew things weren’t looking good for my friend Keith. If I thought about it too much, I’d randomly start crying in the middle of the day. A sweet wife having to make it on her own, three darling kids having to grow up without their dad, and Keith powerless against the cancer. I tell my kids all the time that Life is not Fair, but that’s when they are whining about something trivial. This just sucks.

Keith passed peacefully Sunday night. As one friend on the family facebook page put it, “Earth’s loss is Heaven’s gain.” I can’t think of anyone more well-prepared to meet his Maker than Keith. Keith is an upstanding, honest, humble, faithful individual who has an uplifting influence on those around him.  I, like many many others, am trying harder to be a better person because of his Christ-like example.

Three weeks ago, I woke up around 1:00am just heartsick for the family. I couldn’t sleep for about an hour, but when I did I dreamed of Keith healthy and happy. It would’ve been nice to have thought that meant Keith was going to recover, but I was pretty sure it meant that he’s going to be just fine on the Other Side.  When we broke the news to our kids, my 9 year old said, “Keith was always smiling.  Even when he had cancer, he was always smiling.”  This sweet family is full of strong spirits and I know they will be reunited one day.

Dear Readers, if you don’t have any beliefs of where you will go when you die, I challenge you to find something to believe in. Yes, death is not fun, losing a big part of your life is awful, missing someone can be unbearable, but knowing where they are going and knowing there is more to Life than just all this helps make things a little bit more manageable.  I know, and I know that Keith’s family knows, that family bonds can extend beyond the grave and in that we all find joy and comfort.

Till we meet again.