I attended a beautiful memorial service yesterday.

It included lovely music, photos, poems, candles, flowers, cookies and even coloring.

 

 

The speakers truly loved the man remembered. They included his niece, his young second cousin, his uncle, his fellow volunteers, a member of his Sunday School class, his little mentee from one of his loved organizations and his cousin.

The awesome piano player knew and loved him, too. This flowed out her fingers onto the keys and filled the church with notes of hope and comfort.

The speeches were about his sense of humor, his smile, his big heart, his laugh, and his passion for helping others.

There were laughs and smiles and tears.

I was struck by some omissions.

There was no tally sheet to show whether he finished his life in the black or the red.

No graphs of data were shared to prove his effectiveness.

No GPA or SAT scores.

There were no sports stats of touchdowns, baskets, or home runs.

There was no mention of the location or squarefootage of his dwelling.

His favorite designers were omitted. His political preferences were not shared either.

The talk was all about the light he shared with others.

When your life ends…

Will the talk be about the light you shared during your lifetime?

Or will it be about how big your candle was?

Mourn with the Flower