Uncover the beauty in every moment.

This is my Great Grandmother and Father, posing for a brief moment so one of us can document this day. It wasn’t a significant day by any means, but most moments aren’t significant until they become a memory, I suppose. My father passed shortly after this photo was taken. That was a very difficult time for me and my family, trying to navigate how to move on with life. I guess my dads passing was my first real experience with death. Boy was that a lesson all on its own.

Last night, I received the call that my Great Grandmas time had, too, come. She was two weeks shy of her 101 year birthday. Incredible right?

This lady has contributed so many great lessons to my life. At 100 years old, she went out everyday to have lunch with either my Grandpa, my mom, her taxi cab drivers or the waitresses at her favorite restaurants. Everybody loved her. In fact, on her 100th birthday, her doctor told her she has free visits to him for the rest of her life. Her cab drivers celebrated by giving her free taxi rides for the rest of her life and two of her most appreciated restaurants gave her free lunches for the rest of her life.

All of that is very nice but the most impressive thing is that all of these people, virtual strangers, had a deep appreciation and love for her. You see, she’s not the first person to turn 100 years old. However, she just might be one of the most delightful souls you could encounter during your time on this planet. She genuinely cared about people around her, showing them, me, all of us, that life is fleeting and making people feel good can last a life time.

I am very fortunate to have lived my 34 years knowing my Great Grandma the way I did. She, through actions, has taught me how to smile from the inside out; the importance of human connection, empathy, love and relationships. The lesson I will forever carry with me is something so obvious yet brilliant; be kind to one another.

It’s funny because I got a call from my mom a few weeks ago where she was telling me that Great Grandma woke her up to listen to a band that was playing on the television. My Great Grandma said, “…these guys are just marvelous. I love this music.”
The band she had discovered was The Moody Blues, and the song that she loved, upon hearing it for the first time, was Nights in White Satin.

You see, life is fleeting, life is interesting and as much experience as one can have in 100 years of walking this planet, life still leaves much beauty to be discovered.