on thursday, i went to my cousin michael's funeral. he was 32 years old, and has had serious health problems all his life, but it was still unexpected. he had been feeling better lately, and was making plans to apply to law school. instead, he passed away in his sleep while napping on tuesday. my extended family is large, and i don't know everyone very well. but michael was my favorite cousin - close to my age, the one who tended to show up unexpectedly - like when he rang my parents' doorbell in pennsylvania at christmas last year because he just happened to be in town, even though his entire family was in indiana. in a large family, there can be a lot of conflict, but michael was the peacemaker, and made it a point to always talk to everyone, regardless of the current drama. our family loved michael. his funeral made it evident that everyone else loved him, too. i learned a lot about him at the service - his kindness, his endurance, his ambition. i'm not sure what else to say, so there it is for now...