Today was Eve Fishman’s funeral. She was my husband’s aunt and passed away at the age of 48. On days like today, the things I usually obsess about – the number on the scale, my credit card debt, or the word count target I haven’t reached – take a back seat to the “bigger picture.” I think about things like: why am I here? or, what happens after I die? or, how will I be remembered?
Today, I thought about “stuff.” You know, the things we accumulate during our lifetime. At some point or another after someone dies, we have to rummage through our loved ones belongings to find pictures for a memorial slide show, or important papers, and eventually pack and remove their personal items. And as we go through this stuff, it’s a reminder that in the end, we can’t take anything with us when we pass. So if we can’t take anything with us, then what’s really important is what we leave behind.
Sure, it’s nice to leave behind money or a house. But what I’m really talking about is the impact that our existence leaves in the world. When it’s all said and done, how is the world different because of us?
Though Eve is no longer on this earth, she left her mark on my life. At a difficult time for me, she became like a second mom to my children and showed me immense compassion and love. To me, memories like that are priceless. Those memories are a gift that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
So though I don’t have all the answers to the big questions, one thing I know is that I want to live in such a way that I will leave a permanent mark on the lives of those who I love and who read my words.
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