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It has been somewhat of a sad week in our office. Layne, one of our sales team members, lost his mother to a pulmonary embolism last weekend. It was very unexpected and such a tragedy for their family and all who knew her. She was one of those people that always had a smile on her face and was always doing something for someone else.
This is one of the pictures they displayed at her funeral yesterday. I love it because she just looks so happy to be surrounded by the people she loves. Even her eyes sparkle! It is such a reflection of who she was and the way she lived her life.
I am grateful to have known her, even if only a little while. And while I know it will be a very difficult thing for all of her family and friends to learn to cope with her passing, I was so grateful to attend her funeral yesterday. The words were inspiring to me, and I walked out with a feeling of wanting to be a better person.
The speakers reminded all of us that a funeral really isn’t for the person that is gone. They are for us that remain, the ones that need to learn to keep moving forward without having that person in our lives. And yesterday we were all challenged to look around us and think about the things that are important – family and friends, service, kindness and love. The way those things mold and shape our personality and the relationships we build are the things that will leave a lasting influence on others and are the only things we can take with us when we die.
I hope we can all take a few minutes to think about the priorities in our lives, the things that matter most. If you knew that this week or this month or this year would be your last ones on the earth, would you do anything different than what you are doing now? Would you say something maybe you’ve been hesitating or afraid to say?
We just never know when our time will come. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to reflect on my life and hope I can make some changes that will be of benefit not only for myself but also the people I associate with. Thank you, Patsy Whitby, for your example and your life!
progressiveforage 
Thank you for such a wonderful tribute. Patsy was the very, very best. I feel so lucky to be her daughter in law.
This is such a nice tribute to my mom. She was the most beautiful person inside and out that I have ever known.
Thank you so much for this!