Goodbye, Howard

My friend Howard, husband of my friend and fellow-artist Kathy, died suddenly. I'm sad. He was 49. I suppose I can't do anything helpful for Kathy, really, but I'll do what I can and remember what Anne said this morning. Her husband died at 45, when she was merely 43. She said in 3 months it really hits -- and most of the people helping you are gone by then. Howard was upbeat, loved a good joke or even a bad joke, LOVED fishing, was a kind and good man. I genuinely loved them both. It's made me think about the nature of love, and how we wish for love unmixed with other feelings. Although that may exist as an ideal, in real life love is mixed in with baser emotions. I was thinking about my sisters and how I love them, but feel irritation, annoyance, etc. at times. Ugh, can't write...