Today I attended a Memorial Service for a very good friend who passed away suddenly due to swine flu. He was 55 years old. It was an extremely large Service of about 3,500 people. Yes that’s right, 3,500! It was a celebration of a life well-lived. A mix of bitter-sweet joy and deep sorrow at this loss.
My friend was a Principle in an International School. The love and admiration that his students, parents and community had for him were palpable. And the tributes that came in all forms were heart-felt and genuine.
He wasn’t a wealthy man, although he had sufficient to get by on in a monetary sense. So why did so many people come to mourn his passing? Simply this. He was genuine, loving, consistent and never acted in a harsh way towards anyone. His gentle mannerisms had a profound impact on others and in a sense, he ‘moved a community’. His smile, willingness to hug another human being, and to always call them by name, made him what he became. He embodied both the spirit and the soul of his workplace. Folks are wondering if things will ever be the same around there. They won’t.
So my take-away from this life so richly lived is this. If you greet each other warmly and with sincerity; if you can be generous with kind words; if you can sing, laugh and hug often; and if you can always smile as you wave goodbye, then you too will leave a great many people in wonderment at your powers of influence.
Simple, don’t you think?
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very moving comments sorry to hear of the loss of such a great person
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