A Life Well-Lived
We got the call right before Christmas that Betty had passed away. She had been our client for the past six years and was one of our favorites. She was smart, funny, kind— and if you ran into her at CVS, you’d never guess her age to be 92. Betty had outlived her husband by 15 years, and as time went on she outlived many of her friends as well. Through it all she remained devoted to her family and to her faith.
What I loved most about Betty was that she was an enthusiastic yes for life. She traveled with her family whenever invited, even if it meant hopping on a plane and flying cross-country. She said yes to the field trips the assisted living facility offered, and was always willing to meet new people and try new things. While many of her peers were taking one day at a time and not planning for anything too far into the future, Betty was the opposite. She made sure she had things to look forward to, took great care of her health, and dressed up everyday living her life with purpose. She wore bright colors and fun jewelry. And she had no problem treating herself. I’ll never forget calling in advance of one of our meetings to see if there was anything I could bring to her. When asked that question, most people instinctively say, “I’m all set.” Not Betty. She paused for a moment and then asked if it wasn’t too much trouble to pick up some donuts! I went to the bakery and chose 6 of the most frosted and sprinkled. She shared that her plan for the evening was to have a fresh donut and a nice glass of wine for her dinner. “Do you mean for dessert?” I asked. “No,” she shared with a sparkle in her eyes, “Why save the best for last when you can have it first?”
It was her daughter who called to tell me the bittersweet news of her passing. We both cried and shared a few of our favorite Betty moments. Our conversation was brief, maybe ten minutes. The moment I hung up, my cell phone buzzed with a text message and a picture. It was from another client. I opened the message and saw a picture of the most beautiful baby boy, clearly brand new, accompanied by an excited announcement. Our clients had been anxiously awaiting the birth of their first grandchild… and he had finally arrived! Amazing that I read about this little blessing only minutes after I learned about the passing of Betty.
Isn’t life incredible? Some people are here on earth for 90+ years, creating an entire lifetime of memories, and then they pass. The cycle always continues and newborn babies soon arrive— someone’s first child or grandchild— bringing into the world an entire lifetime of memories not yet created. And isn’t it beautiful that we get to celebrate and enjoy both?
