“Until death do us part” is a common part of many wedding vows. It is a promise to never separate before death.

But here I’ll also use it to describe when our own death parts us from this world. Recently there were two deaths in our family. So it’s a sad time for me and my wife to have two family members who recently died. The older family member died from old-age lung issues complicated by a fall. The death was sudden, but it was expected sooner rather than later. The other, a young family member, was shot to death in the home by two robbers. Suddenly, unexpectedly, and “before his time”.

My own father died from complications of cancer side-effects from drugs taken to combat his MS. That was many years ago and he died the day after I introduced him to my fiancee. It was an emotional period in my life to be faced by parental death and betrothment. Continue reading →