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Lessons from a Funeral

Guest post by: Jim Stovall

Article Overview: Sometimes, in the midst of grief and despair, we can learn lessons that help us to emerge as better people. Recently, I had the difficult task of speaking at a funeral for someone I really cared about. This experience caused a flood of emotions. Inevitably, on such occasions you reflect upon the brevity of life and the misguided priorities that we all pursue on a daily basis. After the funeral, I had the opportunity to meet and greet a number of people. I was struck by the number of individuals who told me, "I really hadn't talked with her or seen her in over a year." And similar comments.

Lessons from a Funeral

Sometimes, in the midst of grief and despair, we can learn lessons that help us to emerge as better people. Recently, I had the difficult task of speaking at a funeral for someone I really cared about. This experience caused a flood of emotions. Inevitably, on such occasions you reflect upon the brevity of life and the misguided priorities that we all pursue on a daily basis.

After the funeral, I had the opportunity to meet and greet a number of people. I was struck by the number of individuals who told me, "I really hadn't talked with her or seen her in over a year." And similar comments.

These are people who had not been in contact with the deceased recently but would take half a day out of their busy schedule to come to a funeral. While I am not critical of the fact that these individuals would pay their respects by coming to the funeral, I do believe that there is a lesson here for all of us.

Think of all the people that you may not have talked to or seen in months or even years. Ask yourself: If these people suddenly passed away, would I take several hours out of my schedule to attend their funeral? If your answer is Yes, why don't you take five minutes out of your schedule today to write them a quick note, send them a brief e-mail, or call them on the phone.

Like any other positive thing in our life, staying in touch with those we care about should become a habit. As human beings, we would like to tell ourselves that we do the right thing for the right reason, but rarely is this the case. I suspect that we brush our teeth more out of habit than a sense of dental health. I think we can express the love and care we have for those around us by taking a few minutes each day or week to contact a few of them. Then, the next time you're attending the funeral of someone you care about, you'll be able to say, "I had a nice talk with him just last week, and I'm so glad that I did."

Invest part of your day communicating with the special people in your life. It will pay great dividends for you and for them.

Today's the day!

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Article Tags: emotions, Jim Stovall, relationships



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