Farewell

It's been a week of deaths and sadness here in Spain. The series of tragedies began when neighboring Greece suffered (and continues to suffer) the worst case of wildfire the country has had. More than 60 people have died trying to control the disaster but the dry weather and the gusty winds do not seem to help at all.

Then began the deaths of famous Spanish personalities. Actress Emma Penella died on August 27, 2007 at the age of 77. The younger generation of Spanish TV viewers would best remember her as Concha, the gossip of the series Aquí no hay quien viva.

The next day, August 28, writer and journalist Francisco Umbral followed suite. He was 72 years old. A man of letters with a very strong character, Umbral counted among his many laurels the Príncipe de Asturias award for the humane letters in 1996 and the Premio Cervantes in 2000.

Later that day, Sevilla FC soccer (football) player Antonio Puerta succumbed to heart complications and suffered multiply organ failure. He died at the very young age of 22, with his girlfriend almost ready to give birth to their first child and with what could have been a bright future ahead in the international soccer scene (he was credited for his performance in the UEFA that eventually led to Sevilla's victory).

La tragedia más grande de la vida humana quizás sea la injusticia de morirse cuando uno está por encima de todo. Pero es precisamente nuestra mortalidad la que siempre nos recuerda que hay que vivir a tope cada día y nunca perder la oportunidad de triunfar con magnanimidad y amar sin reservas hasta el último suspiro. La muerte, tanto como la vida, es el gran viaje que todos realizamos sin excepción, el único en el que no se aceptan devoluciones ni se permite pasar por andurriales. Que todos nuestros seres queridos descansen en paz. Hasta siempre.