It's a bright, crisp Palm Sunday in North Texas, and as I was getting ready to attend Mass to celebrate the beginning of Holy Week, I received news that my second cousin died unexpectedly yesterday after undergoing a simple day-surgery procedure to repair a hernia. He was only 39 years old.
My sadness is heightened by the fact that his dad -- my first cousin with whom I previously enjoyed a very close relationship when we lived in the same city -- has suffered so much during the past several years. Initially, he lost his brother, who was only 47 at the time, about 15 years ago. Then he lost his wife and his parents within a period of five years or so. And now his son is gone.
I am sharing his unimaginable grief.
When the unexpected death of someone close to you occurs, it is a reminder of how fragile life is and how none of us is guaranteed any tomorrows. The lesson that I should learn from this tragedy is that I should avoid majoring in minor things, such as the day-to-day trials and tribulations that I often create for myself. Life is a gift. And I honor the One who has bestowed that gift upon me by living each day the "abundant life" He intended for me and for everyone.
Today I pray for the soul of Robert Millsaps and of all of the faithful departed.
R. David Weaver
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