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PHOTO: JEFF RYAN
Your Image
By Teresa McCarthy, AICI
Touching the Hearts
and Lives of Others
Be sure to think about the image you will one day leave behind
To ev’ry thing there is a season;
A time to be born and a time to die,
A time to plant and a time for harvest;
A time to meet and a time to part. - Pete Seeger
Those beautiful lyrics are from
The Parable. It is sometimes
sung at funerals and the text is
based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-9.
My column has always focused on
living life as well as possible for both
our personal satisfaction and success.
In this article, I’m going to focus on
the importance of living life well with
some thought given to the impact we
have on others whose lives we touch.
This past spring, when two family
friends of many years died, we truly
experienced the celebration of their
lives because of the values that they
had imparted to their families, friends
and communities.
Rolly
For many years, my family and I
were part of a church choir in which
Rolly was a member. Everyone around
us had young families in those days,
and we were lucky to have the oppor-
tunity to have our children sing in the
choir with us. It was a wonderful
experience for those young people
and for us it was the beginning of
what was to become a very good
choir.We were a special group within
a great community where many strong
and lasting friendships were formed.
During our years there, one
church was sold and another built,and
the various committees and other
groups thrived, all because of the will
to work together. All the fundraising
events, though a lot of work, were so
worthwhile.The parties were wonderful
too, especially our choir parties.
(We all loved to sing and staying out
half the night meant nothing to us.)
So when Rolly — one of the former
choir members — died I just
knew we would be celebrating with
the old choir.No call went out requesting
a choir,but when I walked into the
choir section it was filled; so many
September 2008 • Ottawa 14 • Fifty-Five Plus Magazine
were back from near and far. Hugs and
kisses were in abundance and the
mood was just simply happy.
We sang the favorite songs and I
could almost hear Rolly singing in his
booming voice in the back row.
Although Rolly became blind after his
retirement, he learned the new songs
by recording them and singing with
his tape recorder.
Rolly told his wife Peggy that he
wanted to go out with a bang — lots
of music and a celebration by his
friends, no regrets. He must have been
smiling to see so many of us there,and
especially to hear four of his young
grandchildren play a number of selections
on their violins and cello.
Following the funeral Mass there
was an opportunity for old friends to
meet again and remember the bright
light that Rolly had been in our lives.
While enjoying a wonderful lunch,
we were reminded that Rolly was a