Up late talking games & writing? You're...

We recently had a death in the family on my wife's side, and we spent the last few days helping take care of the affairs -- cleaning up the apartment formerly occupied by my grandmother-in-law and other mundane tasks.

Most of the people who've died on my side of the family went when I was too young to have much of a part in the proceedings, so this is the first time since becoming an adult that I've been so involved in the aftermath of having a relative pass away, and it's been an interesting experience.

I actually never met this particular relative so I didn't have grief or a sense of loss to deal with, but the impact of this person's death had clear effects on those that did. Most specifically, it highlighted to me that unfinished issues between family members should be resolved while the opportunity still exists, and if the issue can't be resolved, then some sort of acceptance of the circumstances should be reached before death removes all options.

Make peace with others, or at least yourself. Regret is a heavy thing to carry.