Death as a part of life.......

I recently started a new responsibility for the Post Gazette (the Pittsburgh newspaper for which I freelance)-----writing feature obituaries for their North section.
Now, I took on this job because it was guaranteed money each week with relatively little work involved. But I had no idea it was going to be such an enriching experience.
It would be easy to get very depressed talking to people about the deaths---and lives---of their recently departed loved ones. And for the first two weeks, I did. Most of the time, because of my deadline, I'm talking to these people hours after their loved one's death, and sometimes, on the day of the funeral. Needless to say, it's very hard for those folks to talk about something that is so fresh in their minds. So I've had to listen to more than one person break down on the phone with me. Because I inherited my mother's compassionate personality, I am able to comfort these people while still getting the information I need. But it's a tough situation.
Today, however, I decided that doing these obituaries can be a positive thing. While talking to the family of a Pittsburgh man who died suddenly from heart failure, I got to find out about this man's generous personality. He would give the shirt off his own back to someone in need because someone had once helped him. He learned from that experience and went on to be a better person for it. That's something I've always hoped to do but have not yet accomplished. This man, whom I don't even know, has inspired me to be a better, more giving person myself. Thanks, Ron.