Farewell

Yesterday I was called upon once more to fulfill a solemn duty. It was the third time in my relatively short life that I have done so. It was an honor and privilege to bear the casket of my departed Aunt Linda.

After a battle with cancer, my Aunt departed this world as she had lived her life; with style and with grace. No higher respect can be given in this life. She had been told at the first of the month that she only had one week to live at the most. She wished to live long enough to spend her anniversary with her husband and for this she found the strength. She then prayed for the strength to last through Christmas so that her family would not spend the holiday in grief and she found the strength. After the holidays, she made her peace with both the here and now and the hereafter. In the end she passed on her own terms, planning the services and setting her life in order.

I can only hope that when my time comes, I am able to show the same strength, resolve, and calm. I do not write these words to mourn her death but only to celebrate her life. Her family and friends will miss her greatly but the part of her that lives in each of us will sustain us as we remember a life well lived.