My Spouse is Hispanic, and today We Celebrate Día de los Muertos.
The Day of the Dead.
We pay our Respects to and Remember those who have Passed.
Those we Love.
Those who have Impacted us.
It is Difficult when the Individuals we Care for most are no longer here among us.
In the Tradition of Today, there is a Belief that the Dead have an Path to Spend Time with Us.
To Be with Us.
To Share Another Moment.
However Small.
In another way of thinking, those we Love Never Really Leave Us.
Aspects of them are Carried with Us.
Memories.
Emotions.
Lessons.
We all Carry Wisdom that we have Gained from those who are No Longer Here.
So today, I wish Honor a few Members of My Family.
People whose Wisdom I Carry With Me.
People whose Wisdom I Share with You.
I will start with my Friend and Brother, Scott.
I have written a Lot about him over the years.
Scott taught me how to be Legendary.
I could Never Write Enough about Scott.
For today, I want to Highlight something Specific Though.
Simplicity in Love.
Everyone who Interacted with Scott Loved him.
Why?
He Loved.
It didn't matter who you were.
It didn't matter your background.
All that mattered was that You were there.
With him.
In that Moment.
It did not require anything Special or Over the Top to Feel that Love.
It was with his Presence.
You Felt Heard.
You Felt Understood.
You Never Felt Judged.
He helped me Realize that Love was Simple.
This is the Wisdom I Carry and Share with you from Scott.
Next, I bring you Wisdom from my Grandfather Phillip.
He was an Interesting Character.
He was a Harley guy.
Hung out with...
Well let's just say "Certain" Motorcycle Crowds if you catch my drift.
He also had a "Horrible" relationship with my Grandmother.
Truly, she Despises Him to this Day.
But there is One thing that has Stuck with me from my Grandfather Phillip about his Relationship with my Grandmother.
As he told the story to me...
My Grandparents were products of the 70's.
If you do not know about the time period, I'd say go look up "Woodstock" and you'll get a Good Idea.
My Grandfather Phillip and my Grandmother were together, but over time he came to a Realization...
They were Very Different People.
He told me that, even though he Loved her, completely, he knew that "He" would Never be who she Needed.
He Let Her Go.
She Remarried.
He, as far as I am aware, remained Single the Rest of His Life.
This is Not a Typical Story of Love.
Yet, there is a Lesson that I took away.
Love has Many Forms.
Some of those Forms do Not Match the Stories we Typically Share.
Sometimes the Story Does Not End in a "Happily Ever After".
Yet, Love's Power can still be Great.
Even in what may be seen as Sad or Tragic.
Love is Not Always about what "We" Want.
Sometimes, Love is about what "Others" Need.
Can we Let Go of our "Desires" to allow for the "Needs" of Others?
This is a Difficult Lesson in Practice, but I'm glad that it was Given to me.
My Final bit of Wisdom comes from My Grandfather Terry.
He just recently Passed, and I wrote about it just under a month ago.
One thing that stuck with me over the years is that my Grandfather Terry was very Quiet.
He had moments of Wit and Dry Humor that would Course through the Room.
But more often, you could say that he Demonstrated Stoicism in his Demeanor.
He battled Cancer.
He had Trouble Breathing.
Yet, mostly you could Never Tell.
His Emotions were often Hidden.
As I've been speaking with Family Recently, I've Learned a Lot.
Many things that I had "No" Clue About.
Behind the Scenes, he was Extremely Generous.
He Gave a Lot.
To my Siblings (Including my Cousin who is like my Little Brother).
He also Gave a Lot to Me.
Many Opportunities I've had were "Only" Possible because of him.
His Giving was Not Loud.
It was Not Boisterous.
It came Without Strings.
Sometimes, it came without him "Ever" Receiving Credit.
As our Family has talked, We have been Learning "How Much" He Gave.
It has "Completely" Blown My Mind.
The Wisdom that I've been Gaining is that Love is often Silent.
Love is Given.
Nothing is Demanded.
You Give because it is what is Right.
It Requires Nothing in Return.
Not even Credit is Needed.
There is such a Profound Power in this type of Love.
When I sat down to write today, I didn't "Plan".
I Knew "Who" I was going to Write About, but Not the Specific Lessons.
It was Not Intentional, but the Wisdom that I Carry from Scott, my Grandfather Phillip, and my Grandfather Terry all come down to One Word...
Love.
Perhaps this is Fitting.
At the End of Everything...
The End of our Lives...
The Wisdom We Pass Comes Down to the Love We Give.