Accidental Reading Made Me Think

I was reading the headline story about a PTO Treasurer that absconded with some funds while in office (now I know why two signatures are needed) and the story continued on the page that happened to be the Obituaries. Sometimes, I get stuck on that page, reading about the various people who passed away. It was an ordinary day (it happened to be Valentine's Day), but the page was filled with people that were anything but ordinary. I was struck by the accomplishments and testaments written about this random group of people. There was:
- a decorated veteran loved by many;
- a physician that was born in the slums of Mexico and became a cardiac surgeon dedicated to care for poor and underserved Latinos;
- a career nurse; a lifelong teacher; a retired manufacturing executive;
- a Grammy-winning Latin jazz percussionist;
- a fisherman/woodworker that died from surgical complications;
- a special friend and teacher;
- a dedicated husband and father nicknamed "Sleepy";
- a champion of Native American education;
- a man was a miniature golf pioneer by creating elaborate obstacles and custom courses;
- an organized-crime figure;
- a frozen-food pioneer that developed frozen non-diary topping from soybeans;
and last, but not least, a woman that created an non-profit emergency roadside clinic (Wings of Angels) in Rocky Point, Mexico after her daughter died there in an automobile accident.
Since then, I have wondered what people would be able to write about me when that day comes. I only hope I can leave one small portion of the legacy those folks left behind.
Approaching the five year point, post-breast cancer, it is hard for me not to think about that day, whenever it comes.