Last week, I wrote a blog post about the passing of celebrities, how such losses affect us, and how these people live on through their enduring bodies of work.
Soon after, we received a beautiful note from a reader. It moved me so much that I want to share it with you. She wrote that my post had…
“…made me think that not only are ‘famous’ people the ones we should think on, but the everyday folks that touch our lives in a kind way every day. I’ve learned over the last few years, to never wait to say something to someone, or to do something ‘for’ someone until later. Don’t put off the sweet, loving and kind acts in life. Tomorrow could be too late.
“I lost my Mom a year ago this past November. She was my ‘Best Friend,’ and my Dad was ‘My Hero.’
“One of the last things my Mom said to me was that she would live on through me. I pray every day that I can be half the wonderful woman she was in life.
“I also got to tell her she was my Best Friend, and she replied, ‘You are mine.’ Heaven has a beautiful angel.”
These touching words resonated deeply with all of us here at The Ivey. When the time comes that we must say goodbye to a dear friend, we always find ourselves reflecting. Did we say everything we wanted to say? Did we shower them with boundless love, sweetness, and kind acts? We must always strive for the answers to these questions to be a resounding “Yes!”
This generous reader’s words also got me present to another notion: the everyday people that populate our days are the real “famous people” of our lives. Our family, friends and acquaintances are the stars of our story. The words we say to each other, our script. Indeed, our moments, days, months and years connect together like frames of a (hopefully) long movie strip. If we were to reel it up and play it back, an epic drama of life and love would play out before our eyes.
When the stars of our real lives depart us, may we always be left with feelings of gratitude, fulfillment, warmth and love. Despite the unpredictable plot twists of life, we can help ensure this by thoughtfully and consciously continuing to write our own scripts – the same way the reader and her Mom beautifully declared their “Best Friendship” to each other, before it was too late.
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