I’ve been to more than a few Celebrations of Life in the past calendar year. Death is a part of life that we must all reconcile with but that doesn’t make it easier. Seeing people you love in pain and feeling helpless or unsure how to help is a universal experience and the power of a strong hug and an ‘I love you and I’m so sorry’ cannot be overstated
part of funerals that I appreciate deeply is learning about what the person loved or cherished. Detail people love details and hearing the ingredients that make up other people’s lives feels especially intimate and meaningful to me: “He loved Tom Petty and wore weird printed shirts” or “He was an expert practical joker” or “She was so concerned about sending her guests off with something that she would rummage in the pantry for sometimes expired canned goods”, “he would sit in his car and drink coffee from Dunkin while he listened to the Packers games on the radio and we knew that was a sacred time”- like, how weird and funny are we all as humans? What a gift it is to know these details about the people we love and offer them up as a testimony to a life well lived. I am rambling but perhaps my kids will be like, my mom loved a lot of things and would bake bread for us while she had her coffee at 4:30 am and then go write while we were all sleeping. She was always in the kitchen making something to eat, which is my way of turning grief into something that I can put my hands on and give in love. #sourdough #love #tolife #friendship