Out of Sadness, Moments of Joy

There's a big difference between Happiness and Joy. Happiness is still fleeting, but in my family's time of sorrow I've discovered many moments of Joy.
One memory I'll cherish forever - believe it or not - was several hours after Barry's passing. The funeral home had taken Barry's body away and Hospice had come and packed up the bed and medical supplies. Family and friends had come and departed, each into their own homes to deal with their grief. Janice and I were alone. She asked, "What do we do now?" to which I replied, "we eat ice cream." Chocaholism runs rampant in my family and my sister had some ice cream, I'm unsure of the brand or name, but it was extremely chocolate-y. We put on the movie "The Blind Side", put the tub of chocolate between us and our heads together, and quietly consumed it while watching the movie. It was a moment of such comfort and closeness it will burn in my memory forever.
With the passing of my uncle, I've rediscovered how precious my cousins are to me. We've always loved each other but we get busy with our jobs and kids and contact isn't as frequent as it should be. That's changed now. As children we always had Family Sunday dinners together so my cousins are more like brothers and sisters than cousins. Cousin Mike unearthed priceless photos while putting together Uncle Bill's memorial poster of us all growing up together. We'll be keeping much closer touch with each other from this point on.
All these events have made us realize how short and fragile our lives can be. I feel blessed to have a sister and I'm so glad we have each other during these difficult times. The same can be said for my cousins.
As Cat Stevens sang years ago, "we're only dancing on this Earth for a short while."
Might as well make it a good dance.