Lost and found

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see."

I read a financial article that spoke about tightening up your fiscal game in these uncertain times and some of its talking points really resonated with me for more than obvious reasons. In the piece, the writer likened the range of emotions people feel when unprepared to their gut instincts when their money is being messed with. The pain of loss is something we grieve over more as opposed to celebrating the joy of gains. In simple terms, we are more sad we lose money than we are happy when we earn money. In my world, it struck me because I had a t-shirt created to vibe with a theme that had been running through my head. Legendary status. Or living legend. Or whatever you want to call it. Essentially, I am a fan of celebrating someone's life while they are still here to enjoy and partake in that celebration. This is especially hitting close to home right now because it has been a mere 2 days since I received word that my dear friend, Denise Luma, passed away. Denise was a very warm and genuine person. A fellow NEU alumnus, she did her thing in school and won accolades as a star student. Outside of class, she became part of an extended family of NSBE heads that all rolled together hard. But she eventually lost her battle with lupus. When I last visited her in the hospital, she was super pissed because she was mad hungry, yet we still cracked several jokes and spoke about President-elect Obama because dropping that "elect" prefix was still premature with the Inauguration a day away. Denise was full of energy and sass and as I chilled Monday night with 2 other friends reminiscing, I struck me that I have been quite blessed and lucky to not have had a death made such a immediate impact on my psyche until now. As my peers and I grow old, some relationships will fall off while others will continue to thrive. And yet I will continue to life each day as though it were my last. I've always harbored a disdain for death and those moments leading up to it. As the years go on, more pain will surely come my way; natural causes or otherwise. But I will say that I life is to be lived. Instead of mourning her passing, I will celebrate the many fun, hilarious, adventurous time we shared personally and with others. The thrill of waking up to a new day is not to be taken for granted. May you rest in peace, Miss Luma.