The Good Old Days

Last week marked one year since my wife’s cousin died at the tragically young age of 27 from a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

It was, of course, a sad day. Even sadder was a few days later as friends and family gathered for her funeral.

But in sadness, there is joy. Yes, she is be missed and will continue to be missed as our lives go on without here, but death is, of course, a part of life and while we don’t get to choose the circumstances of our death, we can find some peace in the comfort that comes from gathering following a death… even if I do hate funerals.

No, really, I hate them. So, much so that I really would be fine if my family doesn’t have one for me. But as much as I hate funerals, I do understand their importance. It offers a sense of closure and reflection. It is during the post-funeral reflection that we have a chance to share time together and share memories. We often look back at years gone by and call them the “good old days.” And that’s fine, but it’s also kind of a lie.

There are no “good old days” – well, there are, but there are also “bad old days” too. But mostly there are simply “old days” and each morning there are “new days. “

It’s important to remember them all — good, bad, old and new.

What’s the best day of your life? What about the worst day? Those might be easy to recall. But what about all the days in between? There’s no reason to think the past was any better or worse than today because it all matters and

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it all makes us who we are. Like I said, it has been a year now since my wife’s family lost someone who honestly should have outlived pretty much all of us, but no one lost more that day, I think, than her husband. They actually had found out about the cancer diagnosis just a day or two before their wedding last June. They, of course, went through with the planned wedding and hoped for the best as far as the diagnosis. Sadly, they were only married for a few months before she passed away.

Now, a year later, he does at least seem to be moving on with his life. What else can you do as a 28-year-old widow. I don’t even want to think about what I would do in that situation.

But yeah, there are good days and there are bad days and we do what we can to make the most of each one.

It might sound dumb, but there’s a line from the animated movie “Kung Fu Panda” that says, “The past is history. The future is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why it is called ‘the present.’” Goofy, but poignant.

And don’t stop to enjoy life’s little moments.

Remeber these words from Ed Helms’ character Andy from “The Office”: “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them.”