Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Time For Funerals
An Aunt of mine died earlier this week. Services to celebrate her life are tomorrow. She was a great aunt. Always smiling, always happy, always happy to see you. Maybe that wasn't how she was really feeling at the time, but that is what she projected. If she had a worry or a concern, you didn't know it.
She was the consummate host of a party or gathering. She made you feel more comfortable in her home than you felt in your own home.
I hadn't seen her or spoken with her for many years. One of my brother's said he kept meaning to see her, to visit her, to make time to get to her house and spend some time with her. He didn't get around to it. And neither did I.
But we will be attending her services tomorrow.
And all the above got me to thinking about how all us say we are going to make time to see someone, to visit someone, to travel somewhere and spend time with the people in our lives who are important to us. And how often we never get around to actually doing it.
But then the memorial service or funeral is scheduled, and then...and then, we make time for it, for it becomes the very last time for us to say both hello and good-bye to the person we didn't get around to see when they were alive.
And I realized how sad it is that we do that. I'm as guilty as anybody in not making time to see the people I care about as often as I should, or as often as those people deserve.
I know--I know, we work, we play, we plan this and that, we say "Next Time" to doing something with someone we haven't seen in a while. And life goes on. And you plan for doing what you say you will do next week, next month, next summer. And the next thing you know is, you get the telephone call saying that, the person you haven't seen or spoken with in quite some time - the person you meant to visit over and over again - has died. And then you finally make time to be present for the memorial service and funeral.
I will miss you Auntie Mary. I'm sorry I didn't make and take the time to visit you or phone you as often as I should have in the last several years. I know it's no consolation, but you were in my thoughts so very often, with me thinking "I really have to get to your house, say hello, and visit with you." But I never got there. And I'm sorry. So very sorry.
©2006
She was the consummate host of a party or gathering. She made you feel more comfortable in her home than you felt in your own home.
I hadn't seen her or spoken with her for many years. One of my brother's said he kept meaning to see her, to visit her, to make time to get to her house and spend some time with her. He didn't get around to it. And neither did I.
But we will be attending her services tomorrow.
And all the above got me to thinking about how all us say we are going to make time to see someone, to visit someone, to travel somewhere and spend time with the people in our lives who are important to us. And how often we never get around to actually doing it.
But then the memorial service or funeral is scheduled, and then...and then, we make time for it, for it becomes the very last time for us to say both hello and good-bye to the person we didn't get around to see when they were alive.
And I realized how sad it is that we do that. I'm as guilty as anybody in not making time to see the people I care about as often as I should, or as often as those people deserve.
I know--I know, we work, we play, we plan this and that, we say "Next Time" to doing something with someone we haven't seen in a while. And life goes on. And you plan for doing what you say you will do next week, next month, next summer. And the next thing you know is, you get the telephone call saying that, the person you haven't seen or spoken with in quite some time - the person you meant to visit over and over again - has died. And then you finally make time to be present for the memorial service and funeral.
I will miss you Auntie Mary. I'm sorry I didn't make and take the time to visit you or phone you as often as I should have in the last several years. I know it's no consolation, but you were in my thoughts so very often, with me thinking "I really have to get to your house, say hello, and visit with you." But I never got there. And I'm sorry. So very sorry.
©2006
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