Happy in a Sad Way

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
The lord giveth, and the lord taketh away.
What goes up, must come down.
For each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
...

There are a lot of ways to describe recent events, but there are no ways of explaining them.

On Thursday, January 12, 2006, my sister welcomed her first child into the world. He's a glowing little boy with a knack for sleeping.

On Friday, January 13, 2006, the youngest son of a good friend of our family committed suicide. He was only 19 years old. I used to babysit him and his brother when I was growing up, and I'll always remember the endless hours we spent playing Dr. Mario on Nintendo. Their mother was always a great inspiration to me, I only know one other person that smiles as much as she, I hope this doesn't steal it away forever.

Every time I stop to smile over my sister's news, I also want to shed a tear over the other. My thoughts are constantly with both families right now. One trying to learn how to begin, the other trying to learn how to continue.

Happy Birthday Nathan Gregory S.

R.I.P. Patrick M. 1986 - 2006