During the autumn months of 2021, clouds of sadness hung over our family, as we lost three wonderful men. The first was a cousin who lost his 20 year battle with Parkinson’s disease. Before his retirement, he and his wife ran a successful restaurant in Ohio that we all called our “second kitchen”. The consummate host, Emil was happiest interacting with guests, and enjoying their appreciation of Cite Grill’s warm ambience and delicious cuisine. We still miss his infectious laughter and love of gathering at the table.
Shockwaves gripped our family when my husband’s older brother Keith was admitted with sepsis and kidney failure – and ultimately arrested and couldn’t be revived. He was a skilled dentist who hopscotched between Florida and Pittsburgh every week, attending to the needs of his patients and devoting his time to his wife and family on his time off. Keith was always ready to go the extra mile if you needed something, and especially took pleasure in spoiling his granddaughters. We have many happy memories of his hosting family celebrations – always with lots of love, laughter and great food.
Our last loss was my precious father, who at 93 years succumbed to the failure of his frail body to live another day. We prayed that God would call him to heaven, as his quality of life had long been far from optimum. In his prime, Dad delighted in blessing people with treats – candies for the post office workers and the bank tellers, and mom’s meatballs for the office luncheons, just to name a few. Dad prided himself on his good driving skills, and would drive hours – even through blinding snowstorms – to pick someone up if they needed a ride. He had such a giving heart, and was loved by so many. Dad sacrificed to achieve his goal of my sisters and I attending college, and we will never forget that. We felt his love deeply.
What we remember about those who have left us is not what they had, but who they were.
After my sisters and I spent days clearing out all of my parents possessions, we each felt tremendous sadness (and a splash of guilt) at how quickly we evaluated what should be kept or discarded. It was as if we threw their lives away. But what balanced out these feelings was the realization that more important than all the stuff left behind was the legacy of love and kindness that Dad gifted to our family. And the same is true for Emil and Keith.
These memories of our loved ones are what will be forever imbedded in our minds and passed down to the next generations.
So, when all is said and done, what is it that truly matters?
Surely it’s not all the tchotchkes we have accumulated over the years, or the excess number of shoes in our closets. (I’m speaking for myself here.)
What we leave to our families, friends, and to the world is the essence of our hearts and souls.
And so, dear readers, let’s wrap our lives in love, and leave a trail of hope and faith.
Fill your legacy box with all the best of yourselves.
And in the meantime, maybe we’d better get busy and purge a few closets…
“Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:1
beWARM 