Life

I'm sitting in class this morning, wishing I'd made a bigger cup of coffee because Econ before noon = death, and making up a list of things I need to do this week. I kid you not, there are easily 30 things on there, and I haven't even added in all the stuff I didn't get done last week that I needed to and can't remember to add. I look at my phone for the time, and see I've missed a call from my mom and that she left a voicemail, which is odd because she knows I'm in class. Slightly ingtrigued but not really worried, I put the phone away, suffer through thirty more minutes of politics vs. economics, and forget.

My phone was in hand checking voicemail before I'd even walked out of the class, and as it turns out, not so good news. I blogged a while back about a little girl with both types of leukemia that our family knows. Well, she just passed away early this morning. It's really strange, because I have known well a decent number of people who have died over the years. But none of them were 11 . . . A few probably went a little early by today's standards, but none spent most of their lives with the knowledge that there existed little chance they would see high school. She only a month or so ago started asking if she was getting close to dying, and I don't even know how you begin to answer a child honestly. That little life is just gone. Her breathing had slowed down alot last night, a good sign it's almost over, so her mother and sisters sat with her all night. At 4:30 AM, she woke up, sat straight up in bed, gave everyone hugs and said she loved them, and promptly drew her last breath. It all kind of makes my list of things that HAVE to get done seem a little less pressing. They do need to happen, and alot of them today . . . But I think there is time to say a prayer for Cheyenne and her family, for strength and understanding and peace, and to reflect a little bit on life. Please say some prayers for her family, because pretty soon football season will be fully underway, school will load more reading on my plate, and I will more than likely forget/move on. I pray that they can too.

All this reminds me of a Dave Matthews song, Bartender

If I go
Before I'm old
Oh, brother of mine
Please don't forget me if I go

Bartender, please
Fill my glass for me
With the wine you gave Jesus that set him free
After three days in the ground

Oh, and if I die
Before my time
Oh, sweet sister of mine
Please don't regret me if I die

Bartender, please
Fill my glass for me
With the wine you gave Jesus that set him free
After three days in the ground

Bartender, please
Fill my glass for me
With the wine you gave Jesus that set him free
After three days in the ground

I'm on bended knees, I pray
Bartender, please

When I was young, I never think about it
Now I can't get it out of my mind

I'm on bended knees
Father, please

Oh, and if all this gold
Should steal my soul away
Oh, sweet mother of mine
Please redirect me in this gold...

Bartender, you see
The wine that's drinking me
Came from the vine that strung Judas from the Devil's tree
His roots deep, deep in the ground

Bartender, you see
The wine that's drinking me
Came from the vine that strung Judas from the Devil's tree
His roots deep, deep in the ground

In the Ground...

I'm on bended knees
Oh, Bartender, please

I'm on bended knees
Father, please

When I was young, I never think about it
Now I just wanna run and die

I'm on bended knees
Oh, Bartender, please
Bartender, please...