Celebrate Life Every Day
January 17, 2012
I was reminded last week how critical it is to celebrate life every day and to show appreciation for all the wonderful people, places, and things we are blessed to experience in our lives. The reminder came when I attended the funeral of my cousin, Amy, who died of unknown causes suddenly last week. Amy was 39 years old, 7 years younger than me and way too young to die. I wasn’t close to Amy as an adult; however, we spent many holidays together at our grandparents’ house while we were growing up.
During the service, I kept thinking that I couldn’t even imagine the pain her husband, parents, and brother must be experiencing. She had one brother close in age, just as I do, and I imagined what it must feel like to him to be the only remaining child. How overwhelming and lonely that would feel to me. I also thought about how her husband’s life totally and completely changed in a moment.
My mom and I traveled to Arkansas for the service, which gave us the opportunity to connect with other family and friends while we were there. One of my mom’s long-term friends who we visited lost her husband about a year ago. She is still very much grieving his passing, especially the loss of the life that she had looked forward to with him growing old together. Another reminder of how precious our life circumstances can be.
I also thought about how I want to document my wishes for the service when I die to a celebration of the wonderful life I have experienced. I envision some of my favorite music and words being shared, and encouraging people to share their memories of adventures and fun times they experienced with me. Thinking of this now motivates me to celebrate even more while I am alive and share my celebrations with those I loved. I want to be remembered for appreciating and celebrating the abundance and adventure of life.
I love a great adventure, and I expect the afterlife to be my most phenomenal adventure. I hope to communicate that message to people I love so it will comfort their grief. Cheers. Namaste.
-Carolee
Photo from www.dreamstimefree.com
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It’s always difficult to attend a young person’s funeral, no matter what the circumstances. I’ve attended too many myself, including that of my brother, who died when he was only 34. Though it hurts, it does make you think about your own life and the ones you love with more dedication and clarity. This is also why I teach and try to live by the philosophy that we can choose love and happiness over hate and despair.
Thanks for your dedication to this blog and to helping others. I’d like to brainstorm about how we could join forces to get “our” type of blogs more visible. Got some ideas!
Hugs
Thanks, Kellie. So sorry to hear you lost your brother at such an early age.
I would love to hear your ideas about how to join forces – please drop me an email with your availability to chat.
Infinite love and gratitude,
Carolee