Today was a great day of learning.....
When I represented teachers for a living, I worked with a woman who was a marathon runner...."iron man" participant including 8 times at the great one in Hawaii....anyway I had not seen her in years until a few months ago when I discovered her in the clinic infusion room sitting next to Linda.....Jeanette was there with pancreatic cancer.
To make a long story short, she passed away last week and today we attended her "Celebration of Life". In addition to great memories shared, Tim, her partner, had collected all of the things she had recorded over the years in terms of her commitment to her sport and life...he had put them all in a basket and each attendee was asked to take one without "cherry picking"...we did so and each received a great gift.
Today I will share the highlights of mine and tomorrow...Linda's.
Mine had incredible meaning to me and the anxieties I was suffering during Linda's worse times.
It was written by the CEO for Coca Cola regarding "Life's Balances" ...highlighted:
* Don't let life slip through through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.
* Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery and Today is a gift: that's why we call it..... THE PRESENT
* Nothing is over until you quit trying.
* Don't use time or words carelessly..they cannot be retrieved. Life is not a race but a journey to be savored each step of the way.
Tim talked about Jeanette's competitions and the t-shirts that covered the hall (representing the events she had participated in). He said there was a shirt missing that was the most important event she had participated in...it was an event she had stopped midway....and realized she didn't need to finish the event for validation by others.....she realized she could self validate herself....wow!
Tomorrow..Linda's "gift".
Monday, June 23, 2008
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2 comments:
Powerful stuff, Dave. Thanks for sharing with us.
Marilyn
Thanks for giving us this gift, too, Dave. Can't wait to read Linda's tomorrow.
A few years ago, I knew a woman who ran a Formula Ford in my Dad's vintage race group who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She scheduled all her treatments around her racing schedule, so she did not have to give up one of the things she enjoyed most in life. She came out every race and she ran hard, regardless of her illness. When she passed away, she had even arranged to have her racecar at her funeral. Such an inspiration. Keep living and don't give up, no matter what. Hard to remember sometimes, but, thankfully, we have people to remind us from time to time.
Love to you both, as always.
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