Friday, August 20, 2004

The day you die

This morning when I was sitting at the light, waiting to turn onto Hwy 7, I noticed a sign I'd seen a thousand times before. It announced the downloading of the highway from the province to the town, effective June 7, 1997.

June 7th is the day Jody died, seven years later. This year, 2004.

I know it's just a coincidence; a million billion things have happened on various June 7ths throughout history. But how many times in the past four years did I pass that sign without ever knowing what June 7th would come to mean? What was I doing June 7, 1997? It was a Saturday, so it seems. More importantly, was was Jody doing? It was a couple of months after he turned 19. He was probably on break during college. He had his whole life ahead of him. That turned out to be pocket change from a decade.

Which gets me thinking. Every year, every one of us lives through the day we're going to someday die, without ever knowing which. Which one is that special day for me? For you? That one that, like your birthday, stands out from all the rest...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know my stance on this...
Ever since my brother died, ever since my father got laidoff in such a callous fashon from the bank he gave 40 years of his life to...
I live my life as if every day was my last one. I enjoy it NOW. Sure I dont play dumb and I do keep in mind i need to prepare for the future. But I disagree with all those who put their careers or any other obligation ahead of themselves. It will be a cold and very damp day in hell before I put anything ahead of me enjoying life.

Anonymous said...

In Memory
In Memory...
Birthdates which occurred on your SELECTED date of June 07:
1502 Pope Gregory XIII introduced Gregorian calendar in 1582
1770 Earl of Liverpool (C) British PM (1812-27)
1778 George Bryan "Beau" Brummel London England, English dandy
1811 Sir James Young Simpson Scotland, obsterician (used chloroform)
1825 R.D. Blackmore author (Norie)
1843 Susan Elizabeth Blow US, pioneered kindergarten education
1848 Paul Gaugin [Eugene Henri], French post-impressionist painter
1896 Robert Mulliken US, chemist/physicist (Nobel 1966)
1896 Vivien Kellems TV hostess (The Power of Women)
1897 George Szell Budapest Hungary, conductor (Metropolitan 1942-45)
1899 Elizabeth Bowen Dublin, novelist (The Death of the Heart)
19-- Deanna Robbins actress (Young & Restless)
1909 Congressman Peter Rodino (D-NJ); chaired Watergate hearings
1909 Jessica Tandy London, actress (Birds, Cocoon, Batteries Not Included)
1909 Peter Rodino (Rep-D-NJ) chaired Watergate congressional council
1917 Dean Martin singer/comedian (partner for Jerry Lewis)
1917 Gwendolyn Brooks US poet (The Bean Eaters)
1922 Rocky Graziano boxer/entertainer (Pantomime Quiz, Martha Raye Show)
1924 Dolores Gray Chic Ill, singer/actress (Designing Woman, Kismet)
1926 Dick Williams Wall Lake Iowa, choral director (Andy Williams Show)
1929 John Turner Richmond England, (L) 17th Canadian PM (1984)
1931 Lang Jeffries Ontario Canada, actor (Skip-Rescue 8)
1937 Neeme J„rvi Tallinn Estonia, conductor (Estonia Opera 1971)
1940 Tom Jones Pontypridd Wales, singer (What's New Pussycat)
1941 Jaime Laredo Bolivia, violinist (Qn Elisabeth of Belgium prize 1959)
1943 Ken Osmond actor (Eddie Haskel-Leave it To Beaver)
1943 Nikki Giovanni poet (LHJ Woman of the Year 1973)
1944 Bill Rafferty Queens NY, comedian (Laugh-In, Real People)
1944 Clarence White guitarist (The Byrds-Turn! Turn! turn!)
1946 Bill Kreutzman drummer (Grateful Dead-Uncle John's Band)
1947 Thurman Munson NY Yankee (captain/catcher)
1954 Lui Passaglia Vancouver BC, CFL place kicker (B.C. Lions)
1955 Joey Scarbury Ontario Calif, singer (Greatest American Hero)
1958 Christopher Marcantel Smithtown NY, actor (Chip-Nurse, Loving)
1958 Prince [Rodgers Nelson], rocker/actor (1999, Purple Rain)
1962 Paddy McAloon rocker (Prefab Sprout-2 Wheels Good)
1971 Mark Wahlberg Mass, rapper

Anonymous said...

In Memory part 2
In Memory...
Deaths which occurred on June 07:
1329 Robert Bruce leader of the Scots, dies at 53
1631 Mumtax Mahal wife of Shah Jahan of India, her tomb (Taj Mahal)
1862 William Mumford 1st US citizen hanged for treason
1957 Mrs Elizabeth S Kingsley double-Crostic puzzle creator, dies
1961 Robert Griffith producer of Pajama Game, dies
1963 Zasu Pitts actress (Wedding March, Life With Father), dies at 65
1965 Judy Holiday actress, dies at 42
1968 Dan Duryea actor (Pride of the Yankees), dies at 60
1984 George Givot actor (Versatile Vaudeville), dies at 81
1990 Barbara Baxley actress (Norma Rae), dies at 63 of a heart attack

Anonymous said...

In Memory part 4
1980 John McEnroe beats Bj”rn B”rg for US Open
1980 Temperance Hill wins Belmont Stakes (50:1 long shot)
1980 Tommy John wins his 200th, 3-0 on a 2-hitter
1981 Bjorn Borg wins his 6th French Open singles (defeats Ivan Lendl)
1981 Israel destroys alleged Iraqi plutonium production facility
1982 NY Mets draft Dwight Gooden, Roger McDowell & Randy Myers
1982 Pres Reagan meets Pope John Paul II & Queen Elizabeth
1983 A Gilmore & P Kilmartin discovers asteroid #3152
1983 Steve Carlton temporarily passes Nolan Ryan with his 3,552 strike out
1986 Madonna's "Live to Tell," single goes #1
1989 23 year old olympic barefoot South African runner Zola Budd retires
1989 Atlanta Fulton County Comm approves $210M stadium for the Falcons
1989 Wayne Gretzky wins his 9th NHL Hart (MVP) Trophy in 10 years
1st Baseball game to start outdoors and end indoors, as Toronto Blue Jays stadium closes roof during game at 8:48, & beat Brewers 4-2
1990 Michael Jackson hospitalized for chest pains
1991 Singer Jimmy Osmond weds Michelle Larson
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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
Chad : National Day
Western Australia : Foundation Day (1838) - - - - - ( Monday )
Massachusetts : Teachers' Day - - - - - ( Sunday )
Ireland : Bank Day - - - - - ( Monday )
Bahamas : Labour Day - - - - - ( Friday )
New Zealand : Queen's Birthday - - - - - ( Monday )
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Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of Bl Marie-Therese de Soubiran
Luth : Commemoration of Seattle, Chief of the Duwamish
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Religious History
1099 The armies of the First Crusade (1096-99) reached the walls of Jerusalem.
1891 English Baptist clergyman Charles H. Spurgeon preached the last sermon of his 38-year-long ministry at London's Metropolitan Tabernacle. He died the following January.
1913 Ohio-born Methodist evangelist George Bennard introduced his new hymn, 'The Old Rugged Cross,' during a revival he was conducting at Pokagon, Michigan.
1934 Wycliffe Bible Translators held its first study course in linguistics at Sulphur Springs, Arkansas. The training session lasted 3 months.
1959 English apologist C.S. Lewis wrote in a letter: 'If we really think that home is elsewhere and that this life is a 'wandering to find home,' why should we not look forward to the arrival?'
Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.
Additional information supplied by the author. Contact via E-mail: William D. Blake. (pilgrimwb@aol.com)
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Thought for the day :
" Pale ink beats a good memory. "