The Man 5 Houses Down

       I cannot tell you his name.  He may have a wife he treat(s/ed) like royalty, a son in his spittin' image, a granddaughter whom looks forward to nothing more than a trip to his house, but I would not know.  I cannot tell you his age, though a completely grey head gives way to assumptions that he has lived a fair share of sunrises and sunsets...not a fair enough share.  I know him as the encouraging man five houses down.  Whenever I run and feel as though I cannot go on(whether in my workout or in life in general) I go by his house and he takes a pause from washing his truck to give me a smile, thumbs up, and on occasion, an encouraging word.  For seven days now, one week, I have run by that house with no such experience.  The truck is gone.  Yesterday, two American flags and two military flags were in his yard.  It is Memorial Day weekend.  Perhaps that is why they were placed there? So where is he? I suppose he must have served our country? I suppose he has saved me in multiple ways.  And I cannot tell you his name.  Did he have a good life?  Was he prepared to leave? Is he gone? Permanently? Although the phrase YOLO rides on the wrong side of my nerves, our shortage of time has been on my mind more than usual as of late- almost to a bothered state.  Death is natural.  It is not negative.  It is not the enemy.  Death is not truly what we fear.  Death marks the moment we have no more moments to do all we need to, all we want to, all we were meant to.  We are afraid of the lack of life we may or may not have accomplished when our time to meet Jesus comes.  Do not live in fear.  Let that fear be the fuel to chase your dreams, no matter how trivial they may seem.  And pray that I can take my own advice.