I can't believe that he's gone.
A fleeting thought that I can't even explain the genesis of drove me to google an old flame last night. The oldest of serious flames, really. And the very first item that came up was a newspaper article about a man of the same name dying in a motorcycle accident last year. Too many coincidences added up in the article, and the dread settled in as I found his memory page on the web.
I gasped when the page came up. It was him. Some gray hair and wrinkles, but the same warm, smiling face. I browsed the slideshow of pictures spanning his obviously very full, joyful life.
He had children and step-children, and grandchildren...a Harley! The pictures portrayed a life well lived. Far too short, but well lived, indeed.
I've pondered all day as to what exactly has touched me so deeply about this. It's not a loss to me, in any kind of everyday real life sense. Certainly a loss at some level, I guess. But what I really think hit me hard is the question that I've known has been bubbling to surface since I laid eyes on that memory page: What will the pictures of my life portray to those I leave behind someday?
About Me
- Darcy
- My real name is Tari. I've been "Darcy" so long online that it's too much trouble to change now. I bring an unaccustomed wine...
8 comments:
Nice post, Darcy. Reminds us all to (1) call a friend you haven't spoken with in a while and (2) take lots of pictures!
Pictures of one in life are static. They re-kindle memories of a person, a place and a time.
What is truly valued are the memories of what a person was, not how a person looked.
Darcy, you'll be remembered as a good and loving mother, sister, friend, lover. That's more important than any photo.
My three best male buddies have all passed. My kid brother in his thirties, my closest cousin in his thirties, my best friend from college in his fifties.
When I see their inanimate photos I am reminded of their animated lives. I am reminded of how good their hearts were; how they raised their kids; how we laughed, how we did our best to live honorably.
In the end, memories of who we were are what we leave others. Photos and gifts can be lost; inheritances squandered, but memories remain as long as people live.
One more reason to be the best we can be. People will remember
Thanks so much, Eric.
And Michael, that was another great perspective. I enjoyed that very much! Thank you.
What will the pictures of my life portray to those I leave behind someday?
Friends meeting.
I had something similar happen. Was trying to remember the married name of a girl I dated in college and see what happened to her. I'd met her through her brother and knew her family well.
I found out both her younger sister and father had died of cancer. Both were people about whom nothing bad could honestly be said.
Awww. El Pollo. Yes.
And hello, Joe! Thanks for the comment.
Wow, I guess your blog is a big hit overseas.
Just missing you a little is all. :)
Post a Comment