That moment in time...

How do you define a condition that afflicts all of mankind. No one is spared and it is the single biggest cause of distress and heartache. We cling onto life with both hands but in the end we will loose out.
Most people go through life without the prior knowledge of when they will pass on to the other side but there are people who, if you like , have been given a window into the future. They have a time frame to work on and family and friends can prepare for that inevitable moment.
I am of course talking about death. In today's society it is a moment in time that encompasses all of someone’s life. We celebrate that person and everything that he or she has done. It is now a time not for grief, sadness or the mourning of a loved one. If the person has lived a long life and has at some stage been afflicted with a life threatening disability it is then a time of happy relief knowing that he or she is no longer in pain, no longer struggling with the everyday chore of just living. No longer having to endure those moments when the body refuses to work the way it used too.
Quality of life is always important to someone with a terminal illness and it is that quality that we try to hang onto. With that quality of life comes self respect and dignity.
Respect not only for yourself but for all those people in your life..spouse or partner, parents, children and all those who have come forward to look after and care for you. And it is the dignity with which you as a person are treated that people look on.
In the past the event of death has always been looked on as a time to drag out all the black clothes and the playing of sombre music. Not anymore.
It is now, in the modern world, a time for colour and bright music. Even the humble casket/coffin has evolved in to an item full of colour and dare I say it, humour. A time to look back and enjoy the life of the dearly departed. It is as I said a time to celebrate.
Consider that we humans are but pawns on the chest board of life and every now and then a piece falls of that board. Those pieces are you and I. When my time comes and it surely will, sooner than later, I would wish that my family, my friends and anybody who knew me send me off with a bang. Drink, eat, sing and be merry because I would not want it any other way…………..
BUT…I intend to be here for a while yet so, just sit back, relax, have a drink or two and I will enjoy the life that I have until my chest piece falls of that board…