January is the Cruelest Month

I remember reading somewhere that January is the month with the highest death rate. In the last week or two, I've found out about two members of my choir losing a mother-in-law and a father respectively, and two online friends I've known for 14+ years losing a mother and mother-in-law. Plus, an online friend that I've known since 1995 passed away last week (this wasn't a great surprise, as we knew she had metastatic cancer and only a few months left, but it was still unpleasant news).

It's a good thing I'm not superstitious, because if I was, I'd be out buying good-luck charms and whatever else is out there. I suspect that this statistical blip is related to the fact that I'm now old enough for my friends and I to have elderly parents. Still, that's quite enough for one month.