Every day I read the newspaper. I don't watch TV news or listen to the radio, so that is how I find out what is going on in the world outside my backyard. Some sections I just glance at, but one section I always check is the death notices. That may seem like a rather morbid way to start the day, but my mother doesn't read the paper and she always asks me to check if anyone she knows has passed away.
Still, even without that reason, I would probably still read them. It always amazes me that a person's whole life can be summed up in a few short paragraphs. If the deceased was famous, they might rate a few more editorial inches. Yet, no amount of print can adaquately capture a life. Each person that dies was once someone's baby, someone's friend, someone's first love. They may have been someone's mother, father, sister or brother. Each person touches so many other lives in ways he or she was no doubt never aware of. Each person whose name appears in the daily newspaper serves as a reminder that death comes to us all.
I read once that death gives meaning to our moments. It gives our time here a sense of urgency and purpose. We can't rely on tomorrow because tomorrow may not come. What we do today matters.
