Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Standing Room Only

Since July of 2009, so just over a year to date, I have been to 7 funerals of close friends and family.  One of the problems of having friends of all ages is that friends die earlier than you are ready for them to.   And then recently, a dear friend of mine's mom had a brain aneurysm and is continuing her fight in the ICU (though making remarkable progress) and 2 local students with whom I have mutual friends were involved in a fatal accident on a local expressway and tomorrow their parents have to say good bye to their sons, who were just beginning their senior year in high school. 


And so my thoughts today are focused on losing loved ones...but more than that...they are about living.   As I sat at my uncle's funeral today and they played a slide show of his life I was taken back by all the memories we had shared over the years.  Weddings, camping, fishing, holidays...the list goes on, but I realize the importance of living.  Life has millions of experiences waiting to be had and I am once again reminded of the importance of living each day to it's fullest.  We often get caught up in the monotony of the day to day.  Work, school, errands, laundry, home....and we sometimes forget to stop and smell the roses.  We sometimes forget the call to not only live life, but to go through life loving and sharing our lives with others.  Sprinkling a little piece of ourselves to everyone we meet.  There is a quote that says "Live your life so that there's standing room only at your funeral."  I think that quote  has nothing to do with popularity and everything to do with living and loving.  If this past year of loss has taught be anything about life it is to live each day to it's fullest and to love those around you to your fullest as well.   And so my simple words today to all of you is to do this: tell those you love that you love them...don't assume they already know, experience the world out there...find something new to see or do, and don't forget to stop each day and thank God for this day (even on those days that seem difficult or hard)

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