Life and Love and Loss...

This morning while waiting in line at Starbucks, I noticed the black and white wedding photo of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward on the front cover of the Globe and Mail. I'd been away all weekend at the BC Crop For Kids event, and somehow, without being sequestered or stuck in a vacuum, I hadn't heard of Paul Newman's death. For me, it's fitting that the photo of Mr. Newman on the paper's front cover was his wedding photo because, as the accompanying article talks about, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married for fifty years. As far as I'm concerned, that's quite a feat for any couple - never mind with the added circumstances of acting, fame, and Hollywood. And even with Mr. Newman's lengthy and legendary acting career, and the huge success of his Newman's Own natural food line, at the top of my list of 'Things that come to mind when considering Paul Newman' is his lifelong love affair with his wife. It's heartening. My heart goes out to Ms. Woodward - the article says that she has been in seclusion since her husband's death on Friday. I can't even imagine. Losing your spouse after a lifetime together - what a huge void you would suddenly be faced with. I get a glimpse of that kind of loss on a fairly regular basis at work. Husbands and wives either losing their partners heartbreakingly slowly to dementia or other illnesses, or themselves declining into depression and illness having already been widowed. It really makes me thankful for each and every day I spend enjoying the life that I have. I do find myself letting go of a lot of petty irritations or minor annoyances because I appreciate the more important things and can see the bigger picture although I do NOT practice this 100% of the time and have a long way to go before I'm anywhere near being as enlightened as I'd like to be! But I do recognize the gifts that I have in my life and it's the unexpected reminders, like Mr. Newman's death, that make me pause and reflect on the goodness in my life. So now seems like a good time to refocus and recommit to making each day count because time waits for no one and things can change in the blink of an eye and for some things, of this I'm sure - no amount of time could ever seem like enough.