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A parent should never have to bury their child
Much has happened in the last month, including a great deal of work and travel for me. I might write about those things sometime in the future.
What's really on my mind at the moment is the very sad and untimely passing of MaxBabe's brother, Mark. He died on the 11th of June, aged 49. Coincidentally, the 11th of June also happens to be our anniversary (this one was our seventh, yay us). I've already decided that MaxBabe and I need to break up and get back together so that our anniversary can fall on a different date.
Anyway.. Mark. He'd been ill for some time; Diabetes, some sort of chronic arthritis-related condition, and a few other things. It wasn't a surprise that he would die young, but still.. nobody expects to get that phone call. Nobody thinks to themselves when they wake up in the morning, "Hey, today's the day I lose my brother". Even though it's expected, it's still a surprise, a shock.
MaxBabe is the youngest of nine kids. Her parents are in their late seventies/early eighties. Her siblings have kids of their own, and some have grandchildren. As a result, their family is huge. So many people have been touched and affected by Mark's death. Over two hundred and thirty people attended the funeral service. We know that 230 people signed the guest book, and we also know that there were people there who didn't sign it. So the actual number of attendees is unknown, but still.. 230+. Wow.
I only met Mark once, but he struck me as a nice guy. It was clear he loved MaxBabe and vice versa. Though they didn't speak much, or see each other often, they cared. MaxBabe is, of course, now regretting how little they saw each other. She remarked to me last night that it hasn't really sunk in that she'll never see him again.
The family is coping remarkably well. There are so many of them, and they are so warm and affectionate to each other, there's a terrific support system in place. I wonder, however, how each individual will cope once they've returned home to their normal lives. MaxBabe's been a bit teary. I know one of her sisters is in the same boat. I guess each of them will come to a point of acceptance at their own pace.
For my own part, I've been somewhat teary too. Although I didn't know Mark especially well, I'm sad about his death, and about the impact it has had on his family (by definition, my family). It's also caused me to be somewhat introspective, to think about my own mortality and about the mortality of those I care about. What if MaxBabe died tomorrow? My parents? Grandparents, cousins, aunt, uncle? What about the rest of MaxBabe's siblings (seven left, and assuming they die somewhat in order of birth, MaxBabe will have to suffer another seven similar tragedies)?
It's all terrifically sad. 
There is much more to be said about this, but that's all I want to say right now.