gently they go...the beautiful, the tender, the kind...
quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave...

today we took a two-hour tour of the dekalb medical examiner's office. when EAVer and friend helen proposed taking a group of us on the tour, i signed us up.

i went in with no expectations, feeling that the experience would be enlightening and probably good for me in some ways. and it was. it may have been one of the best voluntary things i have done in a long while...not only did we gain an appreciation of what the medical examiner's office does and what it takes for them to do it, but i really came out valuing the people there and valuing life.

i also saw my first ever dead body...he was killed less than 2 hours before in a traffic accident (caused by the decedent - HERE). i was not overwrought by it as i imagined i'd be....for once, it kind-of sunk in that death is simply the end of life. and for a person who is more fearful of death (my own and all those around me) than i am of anything else....that was a big deal.

in sum, if you ever have the opportunity you should go. as rare as that opportunity may be (we had an in through our helen), it's very worth it.

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