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MORE ABOUT HOPE:

There’s nothing like a packed memorial service for your friend’s little sister to make a person ponder. We attended one for my friend’s little sister, at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Seattle, a little “That 70’s Show”-kind of church tucked into a stand of trees near rushing traffic. Rigby was amazing – people got in line to share how she made them feel loved and accepted and thoroughly awesome. She was grateful for everyone in her life, even while laying there with tubes sticking out all over, looking starved and so sick. She wrote poetry about how grateful she was for loved ones and for life. Afterwards people went on and on for like an hour about her, and the stories were sincerely funny, poignant. No one had to dig.

It’s simple, really: We’re wired to CRAVE that kind of love. When Rigby dished it out to her family and friends, they craved her.

Afterwards they served beer and Mexican food in the teensy old fellowship hall. Several of us childhood friends stood looking down into our cups, at first shy at not having seen one another in so so many years, which is precisely when people ask what you’ve been up to.  I always have to say “I make a lot of handbags!” “Oh, good! That’s good!” they said, then the subject changed. On this occasion we laughed easily at ourselves and joked that our own memorial services would be sparsely attended and not such good food (you have to be a great person so folks pull out the stops in a potluck situation). We agreed to attend each other’s services to assure that at least five would show, and laughed really hard.

We all came away thinking: “I want to be a better person like Rigby!” Not for the purpose of packing our memorial services, but here she was, gone, and everyone felt uplifted! Sad, yes, but definitely hopeful. I’d like my life to offer that kind of hope to those I meet and love, and there’s only one way to embody that hope, right? 😉  Hey! Are you coming to my memorial service!? Not yet, though! … not today anyway.

Next time: Overcoming Our Fallen-ness through Desperate Holiday Shopping

Click HERE to see a vid of the song I told the kids to play after my memorial service when everyone doesn’t know how to feel or where to find the punch (wait for it)  “TALKIN’ ‘BOUT CHEST HAIR, TALKIN’ ‘BOUT CRAZY COOL MEDALLIONS”

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