Jun 032006
An acquaintance of mine, a young woman with a disability, passed away suddenly last week. I didn’t know her well, but her partner is a colleague and good friend of mine. Her memorial service was this morning and the church overflowed with those who had come to say goodbye. Her empty wheelchair and a photograph of her and her devoted service dog sat in arrangement on the elevated stage at the front of the sanctuary. I looked at them and I watched the pews fill with mourners and I thought about all the usual things you think about when you’re confronted with someone else’s mortality and, by implication, your own. How sad it was that this person couldn’t have remained with the people she loved for a longer period of time. How remarkable and rich her existence had been. How I sometimes allow myself to be absorbed in the bothersome minutiae of daily life and forget to savor the occasional moment.
It’s an absolutely perfect day outside. I hope you’re enjoying a little perfection, wherever you are.
