Memories are made after death!

Last Sunday I went to the Memorial service of a 38-year-old man who died of a heart attack and left behind a 9-year-old daughter, a 13-year-old son and a wife who was his HS sweetheart. It was held at a local performance center Edmonds Center for the Arts and was packed from wall to wall. Every seat was full and even standing guests in the lobby listened to the program. They called it (Deceased’s Name’s) Final Show.
He was an actor and gave a lot to the performance community. He was a business partner of my very close and dear friend who also is an Event planner. Now I have planned a lot of memorials but this one took the cake on them all. The stage was decorated with 4 simple items; a chair spotlighted with his urn, a large picture of him and a painting done by his daughter. Above the projector screen flashed pictures of his life, friends, the birth of his kids, his wedding…..
The host was a fellow actor and did a wonderful job at keeping the energy light and happy, introducing each speaker and how they knew the honored person.
The thing that hit me the most was his idea that after someone has passed away, every time we share a story about them we are making a new memory of them and in turn they are living on. In my life I have lost a lot of my friends and family and that is one big reason why I love to plan events for families. I have experienced so much loss and each time I plan an event, I feel closer to my family just by watching other families share experiences.
I love that we can always continue to learn and grow together as people, business owners, colleagues, co-workers, neighbors and family.