A friend once told me you might regret not going to a funeral, but you will never go to one and wish you hadn't. I have thought about that many times and realized she was so right. Funerals, celebrations of life and memorial services are so meaningful (and hard) but maybe the most important thing about them is that they are lessons in perspective. They make us stop and think about life, the uncertainty of it, the gift of it. They make us want to be better, do better and find purpose. They strip away all the crap that seemed so important before we walked into that room and help us realize what is really real in life. Funerals are teachers. They teach us that being sad and angry is ok. They teach us to live each moment to the fullest because we don't know if it is our last. Most importantly, they teach us that our connection with those we love is really what matters most.
