Sandman,
I'd known you were having issues for a while, ever since you posted this. But it took me this long to find a way to say something that meant a lot... and to be honest, I have to admit, I am surprised that to know that you may soon pass into Summerland, brings me to tears.
This... is something I'm not really used to. So, with that said, I want to say that you're one of the very few individuals that I can personally say has affected me, with your eloquent thoughts and feelings on various matters. And to me, that means a lot, despite having not really spoken to you one-on-one.
"Today I felt very sad, but for the first time I think Im OK with being sad. Its not a tragic sad, but a quiet sad. Watching my wife sleep, watching her chest rise and fall softly, listening to her occasional soft snore, I can see her as I always do in my mind and memory, without the little creases of worry that seem to have set up residence in her eyes when she is awake. She pretends I can't see them, and I pretend that she isnt pretending I cant see them, but I do. I will miss her more than she can ever imagine. I will wait for her wherever I wind up. Valhalla, Heaven, Nirvana, Elysium, I don't care. If will one day look up and see her coming towards me like she did when I first saw her so many years ago then it wont matter what the place is called. It will be Heaven."
This makes me smile. I daresay that what you have with her will last for many lifetimes. I hope, as I write this, that this will be so for you, and as I write, Maximus from Gladiator's line comes to me,
If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead!... Also, if it's any comfort, and for what it's worth... I can assure you that you will be with her, from this life to the next, each time as the Wheel turns, for as long as you two live. That much, I can see...
And another line, this time from my poetry that you'll see in a moment,
Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry…If you want to check out the poetry, image and song I associated, it's
here.
May the Gods and Goddesses help you and keep you safe on your journey, good sir, for I see in you a marked life, a life full of memories much like this one. You live a life marked with greatness.
I would like to hope this goodbye will not be needed now... but if you do leave, I'd like to say simply this,
Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry… For every goodbye makes the next hello closer…