“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes to us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives, and it puts itself in our hands, and hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.” John Wayne
Gary was my date to the ninth-grade dance. Smiling, always cheerful, I enjoyed seeing him at all our high school reunions. When we had a small get-together in late December, I was surprised that Gary wasn’t there. Two days later, I saw on Facebook that Gary died, after a very short battle with cancer.
I was devastated. Nothing reminds you of your mortality more than the death of someone your age. I’m very glad I went to the funeral, as it was simply the BEST funeral I ever attended. Weird comment, right?
Gary’s family hired an “Independent Funeral Celebrant” to conduct the eulogy. (As a speaker, this was one arm of the industry that I never considered – but WOW! What a difference that hiring a professional made.) The celebrant met with Gary’s wife, daughter, and son for a few hours, collecting stories of Gary’s life. During the service, he let us know Gary was addicted to comic books and superheroes. He shared Gary’s love of the Cleveland Indians baseball team, as well as some very humorous stories.
There was love, laughter, and a real sense of the incredible person Gary was. What a beautiful sendoff for an extraordinary person.
If someone was writing your eulogy, what would you want them to say? Now, go out and be THAT person.
Have fun
Lisa
PS – Remember, no one ever said, “I wish I spent more time at the office” on their deathbed.
PPS – If you want to know how gratitude affects you – check this video clip out: https://youtu.be/6mLoMsMU51A
