Why do I feel like a 'sad news' dumpster lately?

I hate getting sad news.

A few years ago when I was working on the calendar for breast cancer fundraising I met a wonderful man.

JP Kelly. He was a skydiver with an infectious personality. He was upbeat, funny, kind and courteous. I really liked him.

In skydiving there is always talk of new jumpers getting AIDS - Altitude Induced Divorce Syndrome. Many new skydivers leave their significant others for the sky.

I was newly married, to my best friend, and did not want this to happen to me.

JP was happily married and gave me a lot of great adivce on enjoying the sky and keeping my marriage first and foremost.

He had two twin girls who spent some time in the NICU and it was wonderful to hear about his family's NICU experience - it gave me hope.

I was really looking forward to hearing about his stories and how his girls were doing and just catching up on all the craziness in his life.

Yesterday, amid what was probably the lowest point in his life, JP shot himself in the head.

I read this article this morning and cried.

Police release identity of Vasco Road suicide

Antioch man, 43, shot himself Monday after crashing vehicle

By Roman Gokhman, STAFF WRITER

Article Last Updated: 05/16/2007 02:39:21 AM PDT

The Alameda County Coroner's Office released the name of the man who crashed his car and then committed suicide Monday during the evening commute.

John Kelly Jr., 43, of Antioch shot himself in the head after crashing his car into a pole on Vasco Road at about 5:10 p.m. He was pronounced dead at 5:14 p.m.

Kelly was driving south on Vasco. Near the Vasco Road Landfill, he swerved across the northbound lanes, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.

"He sideswiped a telephone pole and ended up in a ditch," sheriff's Sgt. Scott Dudek said. "He took his own life."

Sheriff's Sgt. J.D. Nelson said Kelly was married and had two children.

An off-duty police officer from San Jose saw the crash and walked up to Kelly's car, but it was too late, Dudek said.

"He was thinking he was going to render aid," Dudek said.

The crash and shooting snarled traffic for at least an hour as the California Highway Patrol, sheriff's investigators and the coroner responded to the scene.

This makes me so sad for his family, his precious girls and most importantly for JP. He didn't know how many people here on earth loved him with all their heart and will miss him so much. I can only hope he's found the peace he needed so badly.

His friend Lany wrote this today and I think its worth putting here for all my friends to read too.

To my friends,

So many times we let days go by without saying a word. Sometimes we notice those things are friends do for us but with the hurry and mess of our life’s we forget to embrace them… we forget to acknowledge how much they mean to us.

I am writing this today to all my friends..

You are my family. I acknowledge you, and I’m glad that you are here. The gift that I receive from you is the simple fact that you’ve been my friend. I thank you for this gift everyday and from the bottom of my heart. You touch my life, listen to me, and hold my heart, as I hold yours inside my own. You understand, (most of the time) and if you don’t understand, you try to. I want to tell you that my life would not be the same without you, as it won’t be the same for those who are missing from our life’s now.

I want you to know that I can’t remember life without you, I don’t want to know life without you, now that I know who you are, and you are here. I want you to know that I enjoy every laugh, every joke. I am happy that I can add each day in life to knowing you, and having you there to talk to, to share with, and to hug.

So this is for my friends… take care in knowing that I’ll be there for you when you need me. I will hold you and listen, I will share with you, talk to you, and hug you. I may not always understand, but I will try. I would miss you if you were gone, please be safe and don’t leave.

I love you.

To all my friends, I love you. I am here for you. Watch out for your loved ones and tell them you love them too.