Blessed Be, Gene

Well, we’ve lost another friend. Gene Lynch passed away Wednesday morning. This was not entirely unexpected as he had been in poor health for some years, but it’s never something you really anticipate. You’re never really prepared when you get the news.

Gene was a character. He came to our Wicca 101 classes to study and learn, and he even initiated after his studies. I was proud of that. He was a retired Navy man, a former Boy Scout leader, author of several books geared towards camping and an opinionated loudmouth. Believe me, if you knew Gene then you know he would appreciate that!

He always astonished me with his tenacity. There were times when I thought, “well, he’s too sick now and he won’t make it to such-and-such event,” but I’ll be damned if he didn’t show up anyway. If he wanted to do something, he did it. He wasn’t going to just lie down and die, despite the diabetes and leukemia or even the amputations. He lived his life for as long as he was able.

Towards the end, I know things got bad for his family. He wasn’t able to recognize his friends anymore, and he became difficult for his wife to care for. We knew that when she finally agreed to hospice care, it wouldn’t be much longer. I also knew that Gene wouldn’t have wanted us to remember him as being sick, so out of respect for him and his family, we offered to help where we could, but didn’t push matters.

I’ve lost two friends in the space of a month and a half. It bothers me because neither of these men was at an age one would consider “old.” I don’t feel they had the opportunities to live completed lives. It has really caused me to take a very hard look at my life and decide whether or not I’m living a life that will be considered “complete” when I reach the end. Am I living for me or for someone else? Am I taking care of my own happiness or have I pushed it aside?

It’s been nearly fourteen years since I lost a very close friend from high school. I just about lost my mind when he died. I’m older and more mature now, but I still feel the effects of losing these two men now in such a short amount of time.
To hell with living a safe life