7th. Heaven...

On Saturday I had the wonderful experience of spending time with some old friends.  As hard as it is to make time to get together-this was a very special event.  Held in a beautiful venue, we were treated to some very angelic vocals.  The food was local and homemade and the desserts were decadent. (As all desserts SHOULD be!)  Warm hugs and reminiscent stories were the order of the day.  Emotions ran high and there were tears as well as much laughter.

Can you guess where I was?  Yep, at a funeral.  Family and friends gathered to celebrate the life of a very loved man and give him the send off he deserved.  It also provides a gathering to share stories, as well as facing our own mortality.  Efforts are made to keep the mood light, but the inevitablitly of death is the commonality that joins us.  The great equalizer.

We all have the time between our birth and death to live a life we can be proud of.  The famous 'Dash' poem reminds us the importance of what we do in the middle that is what we will be remembered for.

I think that funerals are really just parties that celebrate, evaluate, and refocus on how we are doing so far.  Are we kind?  Respectful? Considerate?  Patient?(a hard one for me!)  Compassionate?  I am going to make an effort to use funeral celebrations a time to reset goals for my 'Dash.'  Isn't that the best way to honor someone?  OXOX