6:00: Morning News

Hoppy’s Commentary for Tuesday

Mark Twain said, “A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”

The more faithful among us would add the critical religious component; believers enter heaven at death.  A room is prepared, the Gospel of John says. 

One of the great ironies about death is that it makes us think of life.  When someone dies, we look back at who they were.  Was it a life well spent?

Yesterday, we buried Loray Robinson. She worked for West Virginia Radio Corporation for 31 years as an on-air personality. She truly was one of those people who everyone loved, myself included.

Loray was talented and charitable with her time, both professionally and personally.  She brought joy to those she touched. 

She was only 53 when she died of natural causes last week and our collective sadness focused on the belief that she was too young to die and, selfishly, we won’t have her with us in the future.

I last saw Loray a couple of weeks ago here at the radio station, but didn’t stop to speak because whatever I was doing at the time seemed really important.  Now she’s gone and I can’t for the life of me remember what was so critical that day.

Loray left behind hundreds of friends and admirers.  I don’t know if she was ready, but we certainly were not. 

Meanwhile the media are saturated with coverage of Whitney Houston’s death. True, the death of one of the greatest voices of a generation is a tragedy.   But the tragedy also includes a life that was ravaged by substance abuse.

Drug addiction damaged her gift and robbed her of her considerable wealth. 

The tributes to Houston mostly focus on the positive.  That’s understandable and appropriate. 

Still, the full measure of Houston’s life must consider the waste as well as the achievement. 

Jill Kinmont Boothe also died last week.  She was 75 and had been quadraplegic since she was paralyzed in an accident during a skiing race at age 18. At the time, Jill Kinmont, as she was known then, was a national champion and destined for the 1956 Olympics.

According to a story in the Washington Post, Kinmont “regained partial use of her hands and was able to drive, write, type and paint with the help of a brace.  She graduated from UCLA with a dual degree in German and English, but was denied admission to the University’s school of education on the grounds she was ‘unemployable.’”

She eventually received a teaching certificate from the University of Washington.  The Post said Kinmont “taught students who were handicapped or who had learning disabilities until her retirement in 1996.”

Her obituary said she was a prolific watercolor artist and she established a scholarship fund for Native American students. 

Kinmont told Newsweek in 1985, “I never thought of myself as a different person because of the accident, though maybe that’s the key to my success.”

Even after we settle back into the routines of life, death leaves us with many questions.  “Life goes on,” we’re told. 

Will I see this friend or loved one again?  What happens when we squander our gifts? Can I lead a full life even after an unimaginable tragedy?  When will my time come?

A better question may be, simply, what will I do with the time I have?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





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