Category Archives: afterlife

Feb 22 0 comments
afterlife, Anonymous, blues, Colors, Death, family, loss, love

Blue – RIP Gavin Powell

My family is blue today.  I have a cousin, Jim Powell.  His only son Gavin died along with his best friend Matt in a rafting accident this week in Walnut Creek, California.  He was 17, Matt was 16.  There had been heavy rains in the area and after Gavin found an old inflatable raft in his garage they made plans to raft down a local creek.  They wore helmets but no life vests and were unable to navigate in the fast rushing waters.  Both of them died during their trip.  Links to the story are below.

As any parent knows and will tell you, nothing in the complete realm of human existence can be more completely and utterly destructive to one’s soul than losing a child.  I have not had that happen and I am very grateful. But I know the fear, as do all parents I have ever known.  I may not be as controlling of my kids as my wives have been, I may say ‘you have to let them go do this or that’. I am that father who said that is how it has to be to my wives.  But make no mistake, for every time I have said that, and I bet for every other spouse who played the role of the one saying it’s ok to let them go, we knew we were gambling a bit.  All of life is a bit of a gamble, sometimes greater odds, sometimes lesser.  It’s a sad, sad moment when the odds go bad and something like this happens.  The essay below says it better than I can, I encourage parents to read it.

So, why did I illustrate a quote about a dog?  I didn’t draw this to say I hope he has a dog.  I drew it because ‘blue’ can’t always be explained, even when it is so obvious, as in this case.  The pain, the suffering, the what ifs, the if onlys, the guilt, the loss, the anger, the hopelessness, the fear, the emptiness.  They can’t be listed out like that in a broken heart. They can’t be categorized and compartmentalized and logically explained one by one. I can imagine that is what one feels they must do when asked ‘why do you feel blue’.

Maybe it’s best to be like a dog, not ask why, even if we know what we think the answer will be, but just comfort and be.

You can google Gavin Powell to find more
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Drawing by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily


Quote author unknown

Aug 03 1 comments
afterlife, Death, eternity, Susan Ertz

>Millions Long For Immortality

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Day #2 of Death Week at The Napkin Dad Daily

If we are going to be in life eternal, there will be a LOT of time.  What will we do and think with all that time?


Here are some traditional assumptions:

In that eternal time/non-time there will be no drama or trauma, no anger, no fear, no inadequacies, no danger, no boredom, no miscommunication.


No one will  forget birthdays or anniversaries, say mean things to people even by accident or have bad thoughts.


These will not exist as well: jealousy, envy, gluttony, laziness, immoral thoughts, crass humor, sarcasm, perversions, disabilities, aches and pains, or bad memories.


There will be no worrying about how you look or what someone thinks of you. There will be no feeling superior to anyone, nor inferior to anyone.  There will be no judgment based on race, creed, color, age, sex.

What do you think of these, are they true? If not, what will it be like if there is an afterlife?  And if they are true, what will be be thinking about in the afterlife?


Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of the Napkin Dad Daily


Quote by Susan Ertz, 1894-1985, British Writer


Feb 10 0 comments
afterlife, eternity, love, Mitch Albom, spirit

>Love is How

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Don’t forget that if you like one of these napkin drawings, you can have it put on a coffee mug by just going to my website and typing in the title of this (or any) blog entry as the mug you want.

Love Is How

That desire for immortality, to live forever, is understandable. But the truth is you will not. You will die, as will everyone else. And if there is an afterlife, it certainly will not have much in common with life on earth. In truth, these are things we can’t know for certain one way or another.

But we do have evidence for one thing about the afterlife. The love you gave away during your life lives on. Now, it is true that it might not have your signature on it when the time comes for someone to ask ‘where’d you learn to love like that’ to your descendants. You may not get the credit you deserve. But if you can get over that little ego bruise, you can move forward in life knowing that you will live on no matter what happens to you as long as you pursue loving and accept love.


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