Putting Words to Paper.....

There is someone special in my small family who has a real talent for putting words to paper. Writing, composition, editing were big parts of her profession during a very successful career so certainly she knows the rules and regulations about how to write, the mechanics of it….and she does it well.

But it is much more than that. It's not because of what she can do with a pen, or a word processor…it's not because she can gather ideas and thoughts and share them beautifully. It's mostly, I think, because of who she is. She's an observer, she's a doer, she's someone who is intimately involved with people....her friends, her family. She sees individuals, she sees what matters to them, she sees what they contribute to the community...to the world around them. She listens, she analyses......and she can sift through what is important, personal and meaningful but leave out what is not.

She cares. And maybe that's why she is so very good at standing in front of a group of friends and family at a loved ones memorial service and putting into words what others cannot. Gathering memories and accomplishments, adding personal touches, bringing a loved one to life when they are gone……telling their story. Not just the career facts but the personal remembrances that mean so much. The insights, the moments that make up a life.

It's not easy. I know it's not, but she's done it before. Years ago at a beautiful memorial for my uncle....and, more recently, through heartfelt words celebrating my mother's life. This week she will do it again. She will speak to the life and memory of her very best friend's father. Many at the service will have known this special man, meeting him at work, in the neighborhood, at a committee meeting or as a member of some organization……but it will be my sister who stands at the front of the gathering and puts together some of the personal pieces of an amazing life.

I know it will bring comfort to his loved ones. I know it won't be easy...but I know how beautifully she will speak. I've been there to hear her. And, if I die first, I hope she will feel she can speak for me.