Having seen my debut sci-fi novel Rebels, pass the thousand (1,000) downloads mark at Smashwords, I spent the next couple of days off sick with a bug or it could have been the shock of hitting that particular milestone. Anyway that down time was turned to good use as it enabled me to collect my thoughts and add some new content to the blog when I recovered. So you'll now find a page entitled 'future projects' with a brief outline of some of the ideas I hope to develop at some point in the future. I'm working on one of them right now.
The week however ended on a somewhat sombre note with the funeral of a former work colleague and friend Keith, who died suddenly a couple weeks ago and that's what I really want to focus on in this blog.
It was a pretty moving occasion with around 200 people turning out to show their respects to a man who touched their lives in some way and left a lasting, positive impression on them. The service in keeping with Keith's wishes was a humanist service which, with all due respect to those who have other beliefs, I find to be the most powerful, meaningful and moving memorials. Rather than follow any set liturgical formula they are as individual and unique as persons whose lives they commemorate.
It was a fitting tribute to a flamboyant character who was always larger than life and believed in seizing the moment and living what precious time you have on this earth to the full. As Keith once said "If you sit around waiting for something interesting to happen to you, you'll be waiting a long time." It was characteristic of the man that he died fulfilling a life-long ambition learning to play the piano.
So when I go for one of my regular walks with my work colleagues today, along the beautiful and tranquil Dovedale in the UK's Peak District, I dare say we'll spend a moment or two to share some of the memories we have of Keith. Because the truth is we never truly die so long as we live on in the memories of others and Keith touched so many lives he'll live on for a very long time...