Last week, we had one of those rare events where three larger-than-life personalities from the 60's and 70's were taken from us:  Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.  It's never comforting to most of us when we see yet another example that none of us are going to live forever.  It's especially sobering when the icons of our childhood pass away.  Not only are we faced with our own mortality, we feel that the memories of our youth have been tampered with.

Ed McMahon was a fixture, along with his boss and friend, Johnny Carson, in our late night living rooms for many years.  His supportive laugh was often equally as funny as Carson's humor.  That laugh gave us an example of how to be a loyal and supportive friend.  He was such a friend to Carson.  Perhaps we can learn to be such a friend to others.

Farrah Fawcett was the idol of many a young girl and the fantasy of many a young boy. Her hair style was mimicked by girls everywhere and her wildly popular and hugely successful poster hung on many a teenage boy's bedroom wall.  It seemed that all she had to do to become famous was to have a perpetual smile.  Maybe that's all we have to do to be "famous" to those around us.  Who knows who needs to see a friendly face just to make it through a tough day?

Michael Jackson made all of us feel like we could jump up and dance every bit as good as he did.  Silly us!  His moves were mesmerizing and full of unlimited, frenetic energy.  His music has become embedded in our minds, never to be forgotten.  Of course, he was also known for his incredible work for many different (some say, over 30) charities.  He just might serve as an example to us that we can use our own energies to perform what someone suggested are "random acts of kindness" and, in doing so, embed the "music" of love for our fellow man into the minds of those we touch.

Were Ed, Farrah and Michael perfect?  Not hardly.  The press has made very sure that we are more than aware of their flaws and foibles.  What would the intense inspection of the media microscope find out about us if we were observed as these three people were?  I shudder to think about it.

No, these imperfect human beings were just that:  human.  They were also parents who have left behind kids and loved ones.  They will never go through a day without thinking of them long after we have.  To paraphrase Pascal, they will forever suffer a void in their hearts that only Ed, Farrah or Michael could fill.

However, there was one more person who passed away this week:  Estella Crider.  Never heard of her?  Well, I'm not surprised.  She was someone that I had the privilege of meeting a few years ago while working for my former employer.  She visited the office that I officed out of.  She was very sweet and personable.  More important than that, she was a devoted wife of 11 years to her husband, Andy, and mother of her young son, Jake.  She lost her battle to cancer the same day that Farrah and Michael did.  To Andy, Jake and to family and friends close to her, she was their own superstar.  I'm sure that she embodied Ed's, Farrah's, and Michael's gifts to them and will live the rest of their lives with an Estella-shaped void in their hearts.

Life is both precious and short.  Let's not take advantage of it, whether we're internationally known stars or "just" a parent or loved one.  Let's make a point to, every day, laugh with a friend, smile at a stranger, and flood someone's heart with the music and dance of kindness. 

In doing so, we'll have an audience in the corner of the sky, cheering us on.