I attended a memorial service today for a former colleague and friend who passed away of brain cancer at the age of 67. Many of my colleagues from “back in the day” were there and although it was wonderful to see them all, the reason we were all gathered was evident by the table and flowers at the front of the room. One of us was gone.
I have so many thoughts and questions since leaving the service and the whole thing is, quite frankly, so surreal. But something that was profound was the amount of people there to pay their respects. You take away the career and the hobbies and the responsibilities and all the things we stress about every day, every hour, and what is left is the people you’ve touched.
As the Wizard said to the Tin Man, “A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.” (Yes, in addition to the Brady Bunch (click HERE) I have a strong association with “The Wizard of Oz”.)
What my favorite movie and classic TV show confirms is that your family and your friends, no matter how much of a rag-tag team they may be, stay together through everything, even death. My husband and I are no Mike and Carol but we’ve got each other and I’ve also got my own personal Tin Wo-Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion with me through this Yellow Brick Road of life.
Keep the Ruby Slippers, I’ve got everything I need. I hope that you do too.