Life's Autumn

I’m listening to Ol’ Blue Eyes. Nostalgic? Yeah, I am. Today I heard an old friend just found out he has stage four cancer. This is happening all too often in my life’s autumn. I spoke to him and he has a courageous attitude. No regrets, no desire to prolong his suffering, no desire to be lying somewhere while people parade in and out to watch him ebb away. “I’ve had a good life, and if this is it, so be it” is what he said. His only reason for agreeing to go to MD Anderson in Houston is to buy enough time to get his affairs in order. “I’ve got this house, land, a business and I have no idea what to do with all of it except make sure my family is taken care of”. He said the thing that was amazing to him is the outpouring of calls, messages, and contact from friends and acquaintances. All of us said “if there’s anything I can do, just ask”. If I were him, I would tell all of us to make this not be true. I fear that I would be cynical as hell. All I have to say about this right now is “it sucks”. I gotta go; the bass is thumpin’ the organ is playing, the drum brushes are doing a shuffle, and Francis Albert is singing “That’s Life”.