Celebrate we will...cause life is short but sweet for certain

It is amazing how many lives a single life can touch. It’s one of those things that you really never pause to think about until it’s time to say goodbye to someone who has made that sort of an impact on your own life.

Why is that the case, I wonder? If you think about…how often do you really slow down enough to realize how much someone means to you…let alone take the time to share it with them?

Must be human nature—we don’t want to think about a time when that someone won’t be around…but once they are gone, you’re left with the realization of how much they meant to you and the size of hole they filled in your life.

I was reminded of these realizations just a few short weeks ago when Jacob’s uncle passed away.

In honor of Kerry Van Humphrey. May he rest in peace.

Uncle Kerry (or “E” as Jacob and his siblings and cousins referred to him) touched many lives over the course of his life. Kerry was so much more than an uncle/brother/son to those who knew him—he was a friend. Jacob has referred to him as a best friend—someone he could always count on for a kind word or a smile.

Though I only knew him for a few short years (we first met six years ago when Jacob and I started dating), I have my own fond memories of Kerry. Beyond the holidays and Sunday family dinners, I think the memories at the top of my list were those summer nights that he and I would drive downtown to the Kentucky Theatre to watch the films of the Summer Classic Series.

These memories represent but a mere moment in Kerry’s life but they will always have special meaning to me. On top of everything, I know how much he meant to Jacob. And my heart breaks for him and the rest of the Kelly/Humphrey family members. Despite this loss, we can rest in the peace and knowledge that he is in a better place…and we will see him again one of these days.

Now that I think about it…maybe if we constantly thought about mortality we wouldn’t truly live. I’m not sure, but regardless, I want to make a more conscious effort to tell people how I feel about them; never leave someone angry; and take time to truly enjoy the moments/events of my life. And maybe Dave Matthews summed it up best when he said that “life is short, but sweet for certain.”