Sales Man Up Blog
Parade of Life
I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
Stephen Grellet
A parade took place in my neighborhood last weekend. Not the kind of parade you’d expect, with marching bands , baton twirlers , or floats throwing candy to the crowd. This was a parade for one purpose only- to honor a life - a precious school teacher who has fought the fight with cancer, and is now resolved to come home under the care of hospice. One newspaper said of her ,“ Ask anyone who knew this woman, and they'd tell you the faithful, dedicated, supportive, community-oriented and loving woman was born to be a teacher.” In 2018, she was honored with the Teacher of The Year award, a rightful recognition of many years of selfless service. Her students , past and present, as well as fellow faculty members adored her.
The gravity of it all hit me last Saturday, as we watched the parade pass by our house, with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. It was a beautiful act of kindness. Why do we wait until loved ones leave us , to honor them and celebrate them ? Why can’t we express our love and appreciation for them today, while they are ( and we are) still breathing? We live under a Matrix-like delusion that life will always remain the same, but we know deep down in the honest places of our heart, that it won’t. Everything changes. Our life is like a mist- like the dew upon the morning grass that dissipates as the heat of the glorious sun rises. So we must seize the moment.
Even though she has passed on now, this teacher’s legacy lives on, in her husband, and children, and hundreds of students and teachers that she influenced for the good over the years. Her husband told me that her favorite moment in life was when she closed her classroom door, and began to teach . She lived to teach. What do you live for ? What are some ways that you can celebrate life- yours and others- today ?
A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.
Saint Basil
