“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” ~ Dr. Seuss
I love this simple yet powerful message by Dr. Suess – a literary legend who left his imprint on the world. His legacy will forever live on through the many children and families he continues to entertain and delight.
I find great comfort in this quote. For me, it speaks to the inevitable fate we will all one day face – closing the last chapter of our lives. Like most things with a beginning and an end, there is a journey in the middle that encompasses the best part of the story. The main part of life’s story is different for everyone, but the one consistent feature is the ‘gift’ that it ever happened at all.
In journeying through life, at some point or another most of us also experience what it is like to lose someone we love. Losing a loved one is a walk nobody wishes to take. There isn’t an instructional manual on how to best navigate through it, nor is there a right or wrong way to process the loss. It is often the memories and stories we have of the loved one that helps us through and brings us our greatest comfort. These stories of course are all about the person’s dance – their story, their ride, ‘their journey’. The beautiful gift of these stories becomes forever imprinted on the hearts of the people who knew them. The stories make us better, richer people than we would be without them.
Today I would like to pay tribute to the many fallen soldiers throughout history who put their lives on the line in an effort to make our world a more peaceful place. Each and every one of these brave individuals was attached to people who loved them and were pained to see them go. The memory of who they were and the dance they had, lives on through their families and loved ones. In this sense a piece of their light still remains and continues to brighten our world. Let us honour and remember them with fondness for all they stood for, and be thankful they were once here to create stories we still remember today.
The picture featured here is of my great-grandfather, William Vernon Morison, he served in World War I in France. I feel so blessed and thankful to be a part of his legacy. ~ ❤ Emily
