I got in a real panic tonight, thinking about the prospect of dying. Unsurprisingly, I don't want to and I'm not ready to yet. Rarely do I think about it, but tonight upon watching a TV show with a funeral scene, I had a real sense of pain in thinking about death - either mine or someone close to me.

My father died suddenly when I was 10 years old. I don't remember a lot from my childhood, but I do remember vividly waking in the middle of the night a few weeks after he had died, screaming in tears for my Mum after having had what I thought to be a nightmare. My poor Mum, in the middle of the night, had to explain to me that no, it was true, my Dad had died and he wasn't coming back. It was heartbreaking for both of us, and certainly a life-defining event for me.

I just hope my beloved wife and children never have to go through anything remotely as devastating as that. Again, tonight is one of those rare times that I give thought to such dark subject matter... however it serves as a reminder to me to live life to it's fullest and love those around me with all of my heart. I hope you do the same.