I’ve got a friend who will be delivering a eulogy at a memorial service later today and when we got together yesterday, he called it one of the “most difficult” speeches he’d ever written. He’s an adept public speaker, ridiculously bright and gifted. Yet he’s still nervous. Why?
Because hundreds of people will be listening intently as we celebrate the life of an incredible woman. Because the speech is filled with raw emotions like gratitude, love and respect. Because it has to be just right.
It will be.
It will be just right because it is filled gratitude, love and respect. It will be just right because each of us shares that gratitude, love and respect for a hero that’s done so much for Long Island.
But memorial services and eulogies – even if done perfectly – are but a tiny glimpse into a person’s life. The true test of friendship isn’t in the ability to capture the essence of a person in a ten-minute speech. It’s in the irreplaceable moments you shared, the pooled energies and shared visions, the big wins, the devastating losses and lessons learned. That’s how we celebrate life.
Go out and do it today.
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