Follow Your Passion

On a whim yesterday, I asked my Facebook friends if anyone had a suggestion for a topic for today's blog.  I received a single response; a single response that said so much and reminds us of what this day, and all our other days are about.

Jill Lively, mom to Jay Lively, our color analyst on the Rebel webcasts and a former Rebel, wrote to say the following:

Follow your passion; life is so short.  Just lost my 45 year old sister to pneumonia.  The thing everyone remembers about her is her spunky spirit, smile and contagious laugh.    She enjoyed every day and was passionate about her daughters and her work as a coroner/nurse.  Her life was far from easy, but you would never know it from talking to her.  Her love/life/legacy in 45 years is far greater than most people achieve in 100.  God bless Julie for the lessons she taught all of us . . .

I am struck by certain words in Jill's description of her sister:  smile, laugh, enjoyed, passionate.  I can't think of another word that I would want to describe my life.

Jill, I never met your sister, but after reading your words, I'm sorry that I never had the chance.  Take heart in the fact that her life is still touching people, even strangers.  Smiling, laughing, enjoying life, and being passionate about our endeavors is the most fitting tribute that any of us can pay to Julie and to those, living or deceased who have touched our lives.  Let's resolve to do so.

 

Comments

[Jill Lively]

Thank you, Austin, for keeping her memory alive another day and in another way. She was such a remarkable woman. Some of the many obituaries had phrases such as "praised for hard work, upbeat attitude", "her smile was catching and her love of life addicting", "she was the sunshine in the lives of those who met her, so happy and so full of life", "she loved to have fun", "Julie mastered the art of of fun in most circumstances". And remember, she was a coroner who saw terrible things and delivered terrible news, yet she kept her positive outlook on life! We should all hope to have such things written about us when our time comes, and we never know just when that moment may be. Don't waste a single, precious minute.

[Rick]

Julie was an AMAZING person! I'm so happy to have known her. Jill and the rest of the family did a great job sending her off with a joy-filled Celebration of Life ceremony. Most of the tears shed were from everyone laughing together over memories of our dear friend.

[Joy Upchurch Wellman (sister to our dear Julie)]

Gone to our Father in Heaven, but never ever forgotten.