tgm's post reminded me that I started this thread a couple years ago. For me, hearing the new of someone passing - especially "before their time" - makes me feel so sad for their families and those who loved them. Honestly, sometimes I'll even get choked up reading about a complete stranger on the new.
For my whole life, I've never had a personal fear of death. It was something I just assumed would happen some day and it means moving on either to another life (as I choose to believe) or maybe nothing (which is just as likely). Either way, it never gave me much worry (in retrospect this might have a lot to with the coping mechanisms I created for myself when my mother passed away when I was a teenager).
The problem now is I have my own family. And my kids seem to really like me and I just can't imagine what it would be like for them if I weren't around. Just thinking about that, while writing this, is getting me pretty upset. Before, I never felt like it would matter what happened, now though, I have something to live for. But its so scary. I'm getting close to 40 and not in great health. Why can't life just be easy?