The Unfinished Book

I was looking at another blog today (Family Tree Junkie-try it, you'll like it) and the question came up about your feelings on the loss of your parents. It started me thinking about death in general and what symbolizes death. We see many symbols like skulls, The Grim Reaper, tombstones, etc. For me, I always see an book, laying on a bedroom nightstand. The reader's place is bookmarked but the book will never be finished because the reader is dead.I probably get this image because both of my parents were readers, my mother more than my dad. When they died, they both left books on the nightstand, unfinished. I often wondered if one of their last thoughts was about the book - what was going on in it, what would happen to the protagonist, how would the story end. I read a lot also and I can't help wondering what book will be left on my nightstand when I die.

On a metaphorical level, I guess we can look at our lives as books. Some are long, some are short, some so short that the story was barely started before the book ended. I think I am feeling sad today about short books because there has been a rash of meaningless car crash deaths involving teens around here lately. Also, there was a story in the newspaper today about the psycho that invaded Platte Canyon High School in the small town of Bailey, CO on September 27, 2006. He held seven female students hostage, sexually molested them, then shot 16 year-old Emily Keyes in the head before killing himself while police broke in, trying to rescue the girls. Emily died while being transported to the hospital by helicopter.

During the crisis, Emily sent a text message on her cell phone to her parents - " I love you guys". Emily's book was far too short.