I received an email from Jason N. earlier today. Here it is...
Hi Mike
I hope you're doing well.
First I want to say that I really enjoy your blog, aside of Daily Dose of Imagery, it's the only Toronto blog I go to everyday. Keep up the good work.
I know that there are times when people have submitted guest entries in the past and I was wondering if I could do the same. I just wanted to get something off my chest I thought I could use your platform... If what I've written doesn't work or fit in with your blog, that's fine - I'll understand.
10 and half weeks ago, my mom passed away. I took the time to write something short about how I feel and wondered if it would fly on Toronto Mike. If you do post it can you leave my last name off?
The entry is below:
This Monday will be 11 weeks since my mother took her last breath. Despite the fact that her battle with cancer lasted 7 years, it still feels so shocking and the sting is still strong. My mom was a great person and I will always miss her. I’ve been having a tough time the past few days and thought I would vent my feelings to the city of Toronto.
I don’t believe in heaven, and I don’t believe I will ever see my mother again. She’s dead and her existence is gone. I will continue to love her forever, but there is no evidence for me to believe pretty stories of seeing my mom again. I am lucky that I got to spend more than 31 years with one of the most special people I’ve ever known.
I will end with a Quote by the great Carl Sagan:
I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking. The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides. [Carl Sagan, 1996 in his article In the Valley of the Shadow Parade Magazine Also, Billions and Billions p. 215]
