The word whiskey - which is a lovely word - comes from the gaelic, uisce beatha, meaning water of life.  -The Clancy Brothers before playing "Finnegan's Wake"-

I have a friend that is going through a hard time right now. His girlfriend has cheated on him three times in the last few years, and while going to counseling, she said that she wanted  to end it with him.  They were living together so he decided to move in with his mom until he gets his own place. So yesterday, I went with him to get a storage unit, a truck, and then head north to pick up the ex's brother to move out everything. While helping carrying out his things were important, he also needed help in carrying his emotional stuff as well; and it really makes a difference when the person helping is familiar with the weight.

Seven years ago, I was with somebody, who cheated on me. In fact the person she slept with was my brother. Saying that I went through an emotional roller coaster is an understatement. I loved her, but I hated her. I wanted her dead, but then I didn't care one way or the other. I would cry myself to sleep, but then comfort myself with plans of vengeance. All this while still living with her. Why do that stupid thing you ask? Both our names were on the lease, we had eleven months left, and I was trying to cover my own ass for future residence. It was bad, and I punished her emotionally and mentally. I made it quite clear that her quality of life no longer mattered to me, and the more she suffered the better I felt. I burned that bridge, and it took four years to clean the ash off my skin.

While helping with the move, we had to stop by his mom's to pick up some boxes from her shed, he wanted us to go into the house for a few minutes. I knew what he wanted to do, and I wondered if it was going to involve some of his mom's irish whiskey*, or some of his scotch whisky. He brought out his scotch, I found some shot glasses, he poured the whisky, we raised or glasses, and we said "To life!" Then swallowed. Only one shot is needed for this, and it's a celebration of the good and bad things in life. It's also a shout of defiance when you're overwhelmed by the bad things. It is a wonderful thing to stand side by side with friends in the face trial, and cry out "To life!''

It also had me thinking. If Jesus had been in our midst would he have cried out with us, and knocked back a shot? Given what I have read in the scriptures, I think he would have. After all he turned water into wine after people already had too much to drink. It isn't about the drinking, but about sharing life with other people. It's about a friend who is sitting alone in the ashes, and you go sit with that person. Whether it's crying with them, or even taking back a shot it's about being there for them. That's what Jesus did. He went to the homes, and shared life with some hurting desperate people. He ate, and he drank. He laughed, and he cried. He made himself available. He stood side by side with them, and cried out "To Life!"

To life.

*sometime ago the e was put into the spelling to differentiate scotch from other whiskey.