Thank you, William Wells

I try to be funny on my blog. I like to entertain and amuse people, and nothing pleases me more than laughter. But, now I have to get a little serious and possible introspective. Mainly because I have had some thoughts that I needed to get out in order to move on. So, at the risk of turning you off, here it goes:





Yesterday, we attended the funeral of my wife's cousin, William Wells. He died in a highly publicized motorcycle wreck a little more than a week ago. We were both shocked when we heard the news, but other than the initial surprise, there was not a lot more emotion than that. I liked him, but I hadn't seen him in over a decade. Melissa didn't seem to be too shook up either.


Funerals are weird things, though. They play tricks on your mind. No matter how many times I see the deceased up front in their coffin, I can swear I saw them breathe. My wife was not immune to the mind tricks, either. Because William, or Will, was only 32 years old and a single dad to 2 kids. As we sat through the service, it was brought up time and time again how he always had a smile on his face. He had worked with a lot of kids through various sports programs. He was the kind of guy that would give yo the shirt off of his back. From the various decorations and remembrances we saw, he was also a fan of Crown Royal. (Not joking, but it is OK to laugh)


Also, he and my wife were apparently close when they were kids, a fact my wife had forgotten till then. His father, a large man named Roc, was reduced to nothing more than tears and heartbreak. His mother was very strong through it all, but mainly because she had to be. My wife was OK until she went to see Roc. There is something very humbling about hugging a 350 pound man who just scoops you up into his arms and sobs. I was then that the reality of the situation hit us, my wife especially.

We sat down, with tears in our eyes, and reflected on the moment. Partway through the service, the entire congregation of mourners stood up and gave this young man a standing ovation, complete with whistles and shouts. This man was loved, admired, and respected. As a human, one can't help but wonder, am I living my life in a manner that would cause the mourners at my funeral to clap? And I don't mean because I died, but because of the way I had lived.

I guess what this all comes down to is our paradigm shift. Because of events and circumstances in our life, we have lived a life of fear and, truthfully, regret. There are so many things we have NOT done in our life that we later regretted.

I am here to say, NO MORE! Melissa and I have vowed to live a life FREE of fear and regret. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you William Wells. You taught me a very valuable lesson I will never forget.