Ecc 8:8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

James 4:14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Today I learned that I had lost a dear friend, one who I had just spoken to last week and was planning on seeing when I got back to Jersey this Thanksgiving. He was relatively young, early 40’s and still had plenty of life left to live. Most times, we only think of our mortality and/or morbidity when someone either close to us dies or when we hear about death. Why is that? I have had some deaths in my circle over the years and each time it brings me closer and closer to realizing that tomorrow is indeed not promised. People get very skirmish when speaking about death, not wanting to “talk anything up” or just avoiding that conversation all together. Truth is, I think about death all the time, I think what will happen after I die, what people will say about me, hopefully if my son is still living what kind of legacy he will have and how he will turn out. I have even had dreams where either myself, family members or people that I knew died. Do you ever have dreams like that? Dreams so vivid that even in your deep sleep your body reacts with tears, shortness of breath, and anxiety? Dreams where you wake up with the faint hint of wetness in your eyes and you have to double check that what you just experienced was indeed just a dream? Question is….does that make me morbid? The definition of morbid is: 1. suggesting an unhealthy mental state, 2. suggesting the horror of death and decay, 3. caused by or altered by or manifesting disease or pathology. Hmmmm…so because I am aware of my own mortality and I think about death means I have an unhealthy mental state? That I suggest death and decay on my family and those around me? Why can’t it mean that I am a totality thinker, I think about all aspects of my life and want to be prepared for it, that I am concerned for the well-being of those around me and don’t want to waste moments that can not be retrieved?? Sometimes dreams are just dreams…then again are they? How many of you have a will and a living will in place and update it regularly? How many of you have life insurance and all of your assets and belongings accounted for in the event of an untimely passing?

I think about my dear friend, who was taken from this world so suddenly, who may or may not have had the chance to tell all his loved ones how he felt about them, who may or may not have had a chance to right his wrongs, achieve all his goals, to bless and serve others…what did he think about in those final moments? what visions flashed before his eyes? The jagged truth of mortality ladies and gentleman is that you do not know when your last moment will be and if you have had the chance to do all that you wanted to do. Stop thinking that you can put things off until tomorrow because tomorrow may not come, you could lay your head down tonight and not wake up. You have to think of your mortality in order to live everyday like it’s your last, you have to be morbid to be prepared. Here today…gone tomorrow….I grieve deeply for my friend and I only wish that he had been able to live longer so I could say the things I never said to him. I regret not staying in touch more often and appreciating him for the good friend he was while he was on this earth. Unfortunately, I will have to live with those regrets every day for the rest of my life. The jagged truth sometimes means the jagged end, an abrupt abyss of regrets, missed chances, and what ifs. I will not make that mistake again so anyone reading this post, I want to give you your “flowers” while you are still on this earth. Please know that although we may not talk or see each other often, you are always on my mind and I appreciate whatever impact you have had in my life. The question you need to ask yourself is: do I value my mortality? Do I value it enough to appreciate life and my opportunities? and most importantly, am I prepared to die? Get your financial, legal, and spiritual house in order because the next second, the next moment is a gift. I will leave you with a quote I read in Dark Fever from Karen Marie Moning, “Don’t accuse me of being morbid when I’m merely the product of a culture that buries the bones of the ones they love in pretty, manicured flower gardens so they can keep them nearby and go talk to them whenever they feel troubled or depressed. That’s morbid. Not to mention bizarre. Dogs bury bones, too.”

A friend of mines coined the phrase #TeamTwisted which I love and will begin to use so……until next time Team Twisted….

LOVE & LIVE LOUD with a TWIST!!!      ❤