Reply #1: My mother died when I was young.

[crispini]

And I was present at the death of a very dear friend who was terribly injured at a motorcycle accident.

It's part of life -- it's natural. I believe that the universe itself is a an enlightened being and that we are all parts of it, and that our essences are infinite, stretching into the past and into the future. Death is something that will happen to all of us, so coming to terms with it is paramount for our happiness, IMO. After all, "Death, to a well-adjusted mind, is the last great adventure."