March 5 2018

Our theme for March is Make It Matter. My husband and I attended the visitation for a family friend a few years ago. As we were greeting the family in the receiving line, I was struck by my interaction with our friend’s grandson. He made a real point to look me directly in the eyes, shake my hand firmly and really listen to my connection to his grandfather. I left that visitation feeling like there was more to that interaction than I knew.

A couple months later, we saw our friend’s widow. I told her about my visitation experience and she explained that her late husband often stressed to their grandson the importance of a kind and authentic greeting. When the grandson greeted guests that day, he “made it matter” just as his grandfather had encouraged – his grandfather was living on through him.

(First printed in the Gazette on February 22, 2018)