Life Changing: Death and Pompeii

It seems like there's been so much death and disease in past week that it feels unbearable to look at the upside. My dad's godfather passed away this week at the age of 99. He surely had a great life and most of us, I'm sure, can only dream to live up to that age. I'm happy that he passed peacefully however, I can't help to think of his wife. She too, is in her 90's and I'm sure she doesn't know how to go on. They had been married for 73 years. 73 YEARS! Most modern day relationships only last a few years and lets not forget about the divorce rate in marriages. In Hollywood, we're lucky to see a marriage last 10 years and over. This amazing couple was married pretty much a lifetime for many of us.

Looking at his pictures at the wake last night, was truly something. He never seemed to have aged. He always looked the same and managed to stay young at heart I think. That's something to admire about him and his life. It's not even just his age, but to know that he's lived and endured a lifetime of changes.

It made me think of how much one city I visited had also endured. When I visited Pompeii, life is at a constant standstill for the area that is preserved. The areas surrounding have upgraded to modern day, but Pompeii has managed to stay exactly as it was. In a way (the historian side of me), makes me wish that there was other cities that had a volcanic eruption to preserve just a moment in time. Of course, take out the people that would have died, and just preserve the everyday life. It's a true glimpse at what one civilization had once been. Just like the artwork that has stayed in Pompeii manages to tell us a story of time, the collage of pictures of my dads godfather's wake gives us a glimpse into his long life.