As many of you know, my mom passed a few days ago after a long illness and valiant fight.  Mom was feisty, generous, adventurous and kind – and it was my job to prepare a eulogy that honored her life and shared her essence. 

It was hard, with lots of self-imposed pressure to get it right.  But the “teaching moment” for me was more about the process of preparing my thoughts.

 

First, I reached out to important others to talk about what they each remembered about mom to incorporate into my comments.  It was so rewarding to go through the process of gathering.

Then came the cathartic act of writing.  How wonderful it was to stroll through a lifetime of my own memories.

And so, here is what I learned.     The process of preparing a eulogy is a powerful step in the healing process – at least it was for me.  Trust me, this is all still new and raw but having the chance to literally gather happy thoughts from my own memory and others felt really good.   Frankly, even if I wasn’t going to deliver the comments to a group, the process would have been very worthwhile.

To all of you (so many of you) who have called, written, visited, sent food and more – know that I appreciate each and every one of you.