I sincerely hope it brings solace to those who grieve and inspires others to take a moment to recommend, share and tweet this article, especially on behalf of anyone grieving the sudden and unexpected loss of a person dear to their own heart.
It was the thirty-eighth anniversary of Elvis Presley's death on August sixteenth, and the reason I am sharing this is because I had an aunt and uncle that grew up, met and were married listening to his music.
In fact, they loved Elvis's music their entire lives and managed to get just about everyone on both sides of their family's hooked on him.
My aunt and uncle were together for more than forty-five years and both worked extremely hard, struggled to get everything they had, were generous to a fault and always had a very welcoming home.
It was just before my aunt was about to retire that they both decided to sell their original family home in the city and buy their dream house on the water in a small country village.
They had only spent a single summer there when the unthinkable happened, one very foggy November morning my aunt left for work and being unfamiliar with the roads, coupled with the intense amount of fog, accidentally rolled her car through a stop sign and into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
She died instantly, leaving behind her husband, three adult children, seven grand children, three sisters, a brother, numerous sister & brother in-laws, dozens of nieces & nephews, and many friends.
I was asked to speak at her funeral and was faced with the incredible honor, and unenviable task of trying to convey my own feelings, as well as everyone else's during this very emotional time. This is what I decided to say.
If Not For You
If not for you we may never have known,
The magic in marrying ones soul mate,
The pleasure of a sister in-laws company
Or the laughter shared with an aunt.
We would not have felt,
The delight in a mother's joy,
The passion of a grandmother's pride.
Or the sorrow in her loss.
If not for you, we may never have seen,
The compassion and generosity of one
Who could not always, afford to give.
Or the worry that came with both.
We could not have shared,
The depth of a sister's love,
The grief in a friend's passing
Or the anguish of a relationship lost.
If not for you, we would have nothing to rejoice.
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