Vapor in The Wind

Yesterday, I turned on my computer and was greeted with news of Farrah Fawcett's death. 'Wow', I thought. "That's really sad". I knew she had anal cancer and she'd been undergoing treatment, so it wasn't completely unexpected. Still, it must be tough to lose a loved one...I remembered watching re-runs of Charlie's Angels and I always liked the ones she was in. There was something really magnetic about her.

I didn't realize then that the day wasn't done. Later in the evening, another bombshell dropped - Michael Jackson had passed away. I'd heard on the radio that he was in the hospital and I didn't even know he had died. I was talking to a bunch of people when one of them said 'This Michael Jackson thing has really got me upset", and I'm like "Yeah, sad huh? Him being in hospital and all" and she told me then that he'd died.

It really got me thinking...death comes to ALL of us - prince and pauper alike. When it comes to me, what will I see beyond it? Eternal hope, or grief beyond comprehension? I thought about the choices I'm making today, the way I live, the things I say, do and think - how relevant will they be to my eternal destiny? Yesterday after Michael's passing, all the media outlets were saturated with news coverage of him - his life and music - I barely heard a negative word said. But by this morning, the coverage became more rooted in his (MIchael's) reality - there was talk of his financial woes, his two failed marriages, his eccentricities and so on.

I wondered to myself, when I'm gone, what will be said about me? What will be my legacy to my children and to my community? I was talking to my brother-in-law over the weekend, and he told me "Now, I'm living every day to the fullest. Life is short"....and I'm like yeah, life really is short regardless of how long you live on earth. Life is not a dress rehearsal...there are no do-overs, no second-takes - we get one shot at it. The Bible says that we (our lives) are like a vapor in the wind - it's here one second and gone the next. I'll probably reflect on this for a while, decide to make some changes - and fall off the wagon as I usually do. I only pray that as I try to do better, I will eventually get the hang of it and live a life as free of regrets as possible. I know my vapor in the wind will vanish one day, but I'd like it to leave a sweet fragrance behind.

O. Odunze