Celebration of Life: Those We Love Never Truly Leave Us

I went to a celebration of life recently. I listened to friends reminisce about a beautiful, kind, sweet woman with a never-ending supply of gratitude. It made me think about how I concern myself with stuff that isn’t important – things like gossip, what other people think of me, if my thighs are too chunky, what to wear to a celebration of life – you know, trivial things that in the end no one mentions because they don't matter.

What matters in life is the love and kindness we put into the world and, how grateful we are for what we have.

The older I get, the more time is speeding up. Now, when I look forward to things like a vacation, it’s with the understanding that it will be over in a flash and become nothing more than a few sentimental pictures on my phone, and another memory has been added to my extensive collection.

I’ve already lived a very nice, long life – over half a century - mind blown! If I am lucky, there will be many more years with more memories to be made. And then, one day, people will speak at my celebration of life. Even though I won’t be there (or maybe I will be, haunting a corner and listening to everyone talk about me, and if I can do that, I’ll send a sign so you know I’m present, BTW), I want people to say “She was a good person” or “She was kind.”  

So that is my goal. I will work on being a good person, being kind, trying not to dwell on the negative, being more patient, and sending good vibes into the world.  

I don't need to be special, the center of attention, associate with important people, or be the best at anything. I want the rest of my life to be simple and uncomplicated.

The greatest times are during a favorite activity, like Fun Friday pool volleyball. The sun reflected off the water (more wrinkles), the commotion around us, kids laughing, an occasional breeze, and the smell of french fries cooking in the snack bar a few yards away.

It’ll never make an interesting obituary (“Danielle occasionally had a decent serve and loved the smell of hot grease from the concession stand…”  but those moments of laughing, relaxing, and good-natured trash-talking with friends have such meaning.  

I can't think of a snappy way to wrap this up or a fitting memorial quote, so I'll say there is nothing like remembering and celebrating a dear person's wonderful, well-lived life to remind you to be conscious of the small joys in yours, even if they don’t seem important to anyone else.

The simplest times with friends are the best times...and when I look at this picture, I can smell French fries.