Welcome to Valley of Life Forum

Do you wonder about how you will be remembered? When you are gone and the dust settles, when your loved ones go back to their routines, what will they say about you? Will they think fondly of times shared or were such times put off for a day that never came?

My husband was a very hard worker. His German upbringing gave him a dedication and work ethic that was the equal of any man. He rose before the sun most every morning of his life. His sights were set on the day that he could retire and then he would do all of the things that he had dreamed of. Only that day never came. He worked for three and half decades toward a finish line he never crossed. He paid a steep price.

After the loss, my children and I had to decide how this man would be remembered. Would he be forever framed by the way his life ended? We decided not. Though he did not always live as he had wanted, we knew the man he would and could have been, and chose to honor that part of him.

What I want to say here is that the memorials we leave are the ones we begin by living our lives fully. Making lasting memories begins in life, not death. We have a lot to do with how we will be remembered simply by making sure the people in our lives know that they are a priority to us. We demonstrate this in the decisions we make.

Live the life you want to be remembered for. Choose to remember others fondly and creatively. Few of us will live as fully as we'd like. Try to remember the person your loved one wanted to be.

In following posts, I will share some ideas for making living memorials. The life stories is also a good place to begin. We are continuing life stories as we shape the way our special people are remembered.