Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow...
Yesterday was a long day. Longer than the norm for Cambria. The usual work schedule and then I went to my mom's in the early evening so we could attend an evening rosary service in Whittier for my cousin who had passed earlier this week. How can a person describe what is generally a sad time? To be quite honest, it is one of the *best* services I have ever attended. It was light, it was extremely funny, and the priest gave a spech that was as appalling as it was hilarious. It was only appalling in that it was funny. He noted that cousin Susie was now the one in the better place and it is us that are the terminal ones. So true. He said to us that death was not chosen by age. Age, as he put it, has nothing to do with death. Also true. He pointed out that just yesterday morning he had laid to rest an infant. While a sad anecdote, it brought attention to the fact that our time here is limited. What I loved most about what he said was that those who feared death were those who have regrets in life. "We don't stop playing because we grow old..... we grow old because we stop playing...." What an interesting priest!
I loved hearing the stories about Susie. The time when she ran onstage to give Elvis a kiss in Vegas. How she drove her daughter crazy with her incessant nagging to "Be Careful" and had an extremely long list of the make, model, and license plate numbers of all of her daughter's friends. The way she served as everyone's "memory" since she remembered details about her and siblings' childhoods, conversations, and life that had long been forgotten by everyone else. A striking woman who lived with her medical sufferings with a smile on her face. That was the Susie everyone knew.
While you lay your loved ones and friends to rest, one often wonders what their services would look like. Who would be there? What would they all say? Would I have any regrets in my final days? I chuckled a little as these thoughts briefly ran through my head. One thing that always stuck out to me about my dad was that he was never afraid of when he would pass. My mom is the same. I probably get that from them. I have a plan for my passing- despite being "only 30". I have told my husband what to do in the event of my death. It makes him uncomfortable, of course. I hope people would tell sorted tales of my youth, post the tacky pictures, and do a whole lot of laughing!
While I hope to have many, many, many more years ahead for me, I am also well aware that tomorrow may not come. I always hear people talking about things they will do in the future- the places they will see, the people they will make time for, the courage they will build up to do something....
Today, my friends, is tomorrow...
I loved hearing the stories about Susie. The time when she ran onstage to give Elvis a kiss in Vegas. How she drove her daughter crazy with her incessant nagging to "Be Careful" and had an extremely long list of the make, model, and license plate numbers of all of her daughter's friends. The way she served as everyone's "memory" since she remembered details about her and siblings' childhoods, conversations, and life that had long been forgotten by everyone else. A striking woman who lived with her medical sufferings with a smile on her face. That was the Susie everyone knew.
While you lay your loved ones and friends to rest, one often wonders what their services would look like. Who would be there? What would they all say? Would I have any regrets in my final days? I chuckled a little as these thoughts briefly ran through my head. One thing that always stuck out to me about my dad was that he was never afraid of when he would pass. My mom is the same. I probably get that from them. I have a plan for my passing- despite being "only 30". I have told my husband what to do in the event of my death. It makes him uncomfortable, of course. I hope people would tell sorted tales of my youth, post the tacky pictures, and do a whole lot of laughing!
While I hope to have many, many, many more years ahead for me, I am also well aware that tomorrow may not come. I always hear people talking about things they will do in the future- the places they will see, the people they will make time for, the courage they will build up to do something....
Today, my friends, is tomorrow...
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