The Long View of Life

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“A heart that loves is always young.” – Greek Proverb

My kids and I attended a memorial service for a 98-year-old friend, Jean, this past weekend. There is a lot of life to honor when someone lives that long.

It’s tempting to do it by what she did: she was a mother to four children, a member of her church for more than 70 years, she was an elementary school teacher, and when she retired from teaching, chose to work at the information booth at the local mall for more than 20 years.

Or by what she loved: she loved to play bridge and to cook. She cooked for the church youth group every week for 4 years and then published a cookbook of how to feed large groups.

But what struck me most was the quality of her relationships. She made friends wherever she went. In fact, I didn’t get to know her well until she was in her 90’s. Jean made the effort to reach out to me with little things she passed along from her family to my kids. I wrote a post about her in 2021 when she gave me a copy of the cookbook she published in the 1980’s. There was a woman at the service who had been a friend of Jean’s for 94 years.

But Jean’s life wasn’t just a walk in the park. Forty years ago, one of her daughters was murdered by a stalker when she was in her late 20’s. Going through that ordeal was when Jean got to know my dad so I know she forged relationships in good times and in bad.

Here’s what I loved about going to Jean’s service. It was a reminder to me that even when life seems complicated, messy and hard, we make it through because of the relationships we build. And it’s never too late.

(featured photo from Pexels)

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon

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61 thoughts on “The Long View of Life”

  1. I want to meet more ‘Jeans of the world’ and how important this is… “we make it through because of the relationships we build. And it’s never too late.”
    Such a useful reminder for me Wynne. 🙏🏼

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  2. ” It was a reminder to me that even when life seems complicated, messy and hard, we make it through because of the relationships we build. And it’s never too late.” That is a golden nugget of wisdom for sure! And I might add, relationships even here in the blog-o-sphere can be a part of that network, speaking from experience.

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  8. Condolences on the loss of your friend, Wynne. You have touched on the same component of a fulfilling life that was researched and identified by Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize winner: relationships. Thanks, Wynne.

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  10. My condolences on the loss of such a wonderful woman. My, what a full life she lived in her 98 years, even with the tragic loss of a child. ✨ I love this: “even when life seems complicated, messy and hard, we make it through because of the relationships we build.” It’s so true.

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  11. Your last paragraph is a gem, Wynne. Carrying Jean forward in your heart…grateful for the imprint she’s left on you and many others, I’m sure. Thank you for sharing with us. 💝💝💝

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  14. That’s a wonderful reminder that building relationships is what brings richness to our lives. My husband and I went to a memorial service for one of his clients, a woman in her 80s. It was so sad because there were only a few people in attendance and they were people who had business with her like her CPA, golf pro and my husband, her financial advisor.

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    1. Wow, that’s hard. This is the second funeral I’ve taken my kids to and they enjoy the stories told about the person that they don’t even really know. It is sad if the crowd is business associates primarily but lovely of you to show up to honor her.

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      1. It was sad. We used to take her out to dinner after her husband passed away. I guess we were one of the only people who spent time with her. That’s good you’re taking your children with you.

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  18. Thank you, Wynne. Today I attended a funeral/ thanksgiving service – my fourth this year. From each one I have come away being grateful for who the person was, and still is in our hearts and minds,rather than what they had done or achieved..

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  23. I think I dropped these thoughts somewhere here, but again, I want to share it: this is from Ted talk that says: good life is build with good relationships. I’m happy if I have genuine connections with people; the opposite makes my life barren. Good reminder, Wynne

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  24. You’ve encouraged me here, Wynne. Thank you! As a senior citizen now, I have to wonder if younger women are friendly and gracious just because they’ve been taught to be kind to their elders. But you appreciated the way Jean reached out to you and valued your relationship with her, indicated by your attendance at her funeral and your tribute to her here. I do pray to be an encourager to everyone. The last thing I want to be is a nuisance!

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    1. What a lovely comment, Nancy! I asked my kids if they wanted to make some desserts from Jean’s cookbook. They both were so enthusiastic that we made two to bring to the service. You are such a wonderful presence and encourager. I don’t think you need to worry one bit about being a nuisance!

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