memorial
I went to the memorial for my childhood friends`parents. It was a nice service. As the girls walked in with the priest, I felt a huge surge of energy flow throughout my entire body followed by an overwhelming feeling of grief. Kathy had the priest read what she had written. Kathy has always been very intelligent and her use of words was both thoughtful and eloquent. Margaret actually got up and read hers out loud. She read it courageously, with tears and raw emotion. It was very moving and heartbreaking and beautiful as well. People were encouraged to stand up and speak to the Gillespies. I learned a lot about Dr. Gillespie today. Growing up with this family, I always felt at ease with the mother, but didnt feel very comfortable with Dr. Gillespie. he was always very quiet and gave off a grumpy energy that made me uncomfortable. And as I heard all of the stories about him from his colleagues and friends, I learned that he indeed had a gruff exterior, but he was full of heart on the inside. he was an adventurer,a flight instructor,a diver, a respected surgeon, a father and husband who gave unconditional love and support,a mentor to many and a good and loyal friend. It made me wish that I actually had gone to see them as an adult, I had meant to. In the last couple of years, my sister and I had reunited with Kathy and Margaret and it was lots of fun talking about old times. I had in fact used Margaret as our realtor when we bought our house. It was nice reconnecting with these people from the past. And at the memorial there were more people from my past. We sat and talked about the good old days and laughed and closed the place down! There is something about connecting with the past that feels sort of comforting. It was a good day considering why we were brought together today. Life is not always very easy and it is important to notice the gifts during the difficult times. Live life in the moment, because all that is guaranteed is this moment. And as was touched on at the service, be sure to tell the people in your life how important they are to you.