Funeral for a(nother) friend

When I got to work this morning, I could hear the piano being tuned upstairs in the lobby. It was not a melody being played, just random notes being repeatedly being hit here and there...as the player tried to get it back in tune. That's how I have felt this whole last week-- completely out of tune. Random things have filled my heart and mind these last seven days and I am doing my best to get everything back to normal--back in tune...I gotta admit, I'm not there yet.
The constant fires have been a nightmare for everyone in Southern California. A tragedy of incredible proportions. Montage opened up many rooms for evacuees and the place bustled each morning with people on cells hoping for news of saved homes...children, dogs, cats and even a few birds wondered by my desk, not knowing what the next moment would hold. This went on all day, every day...
What else did the week contain? My sister's father in law died suddenly and she and her family flew home quickly from Hawaii to be here for all the services and to help pick up the pieces. The up side of that was my niece, Sunny's shining presence in my life for a few days. And her smiley little face among the crowd gathered to celebrate Allison's 25th birthday. Thank God for that.
The hardest part of the last seven days was the news of my dear friend's suicide. I have just returned from his funeral...and I still just cannot believe it. You would have sworn that you had never met anyone who loved life more...happy, upbeat...PQ was the life of ANY party. He was successful in every aspect of life. The church was packed--standing room only--and people sobbed out loud, tears streaming down every face. Those speaking made us laugh remembering Patrick's incredible love for every single person. There was no one in the place who did not have a "PQ name"--he called me "J-lady" or "Jewels" and most recently, "Baseball Julie" or "BJ". He KNEW people. And we all THOUGHT we knew him. But no one saw this coming! Senseless. Heart breaking is the perfect description. A great video of his life was shown at the gathering after the funeral. Pictures of him with friend after friend after friend...surfing, skiing, playing baseball, doing yoga, dancing, laughing. Pictures of him in his classic cars, with his dog, and in Hawaii, Australia, Japan, you name it! I wanted to say, "See PQ, you really had a wonderful life!" But like the beautiful piano in the lobby of the Montage...he was out of tune. And no one knew.
On the drive home from La Jolla tonight, I realized that the funeral I went to a couple of months ago was also for a friend who was just 44 year old. Ironically, she died of cancer after suffering for years and doing everything she could to try to save her life!
I just flipped on the TV and the "Vitameatavegamin" episode of I love Lucy is on. I'm sipping on a Corona in my jammies, laughing at Lucy and saying the lines along with her..."Hello Friends!"
And so life slowly gets back in tune...