Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Something To Remember

As a rabbi, I am sometimes honored and humbled by officiating at a funeral, as I did this week. I find that, even if I had known the person before their death, I usually find out something that I hadn't known before; something worth remembering. In this case, one of the speakers at the service was a young man who was a close friend of the deceased's son. He said that when he visited this woman's home, she would stand right before him, look him in the eye, and say, "You are terrific!" or, "You are great!" As he was speaking, I thought, "What a wonderful thing to be remembered for".

It reminded me of another service I had conducted, just a little less than a year ago. In that case, from the deceased's family, colleagues and slight acquaintances, I heard, over and over, the same thing. It was that, when he was talking to you, he always made you feel that you were the most important person in the world. At that time, too, I thought, "What a wonderful thing to be remembered for".

Someday, we are all going to die, and, with any luck, there will be people to mourn us. Let's make sure we leave them something wonderful to remember.

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