We Gather

8/26/12 will mark the 3rd Anniversary of Mike's death. As a family we traditionally gather on this day to celebrate Mike's life. We gather much like we did as we gathered while he was dying here at home. We gather to laugh, cry, eat and of course talk about Mike, his life and share stories; together.

I've been reading through some of my old journals and found this entry I wrote the day after Mike's funeral;

8/30/09

"Yesterday was Mike's funeral. The day was just as planned and I think true to Mike. It was raining early in the morning but then the sun came out. There were so many people there. At both the wake and funeral. Mike touched so many lives. Like Father  O'Connor said, 'It isn't how long you live your life, it is how you live your life that matters.' Mike definitely lived his life, even after diagnosis! So many people said to me. 'At least he isn't suffering.' and I kept thinking but Mike wasn't. You know he lived. We lived. that's what we always promised that we would do as long as we could. I know these past 6 weeks were difficult and not truly "living" up to Mike's caliber, but he was living and making the best of it. The photo boards demonstrated how much he lived and celebrated life over the 4 1/2 years and then some."

The rest of the entry was about me and how I was feeling and adjusting. I chose to share this excerpt though because I felt it was reflective of what we do when we gather as a family on his death anniversary and birthday; we continue to celebrate life. Ironically, it is also relatively close to the mission of the Michael G. Belz Foundation! Looking forward to gathering tomorrow.