[2023-08-22] Greg's Day 2023
August 22 is Greg's Day—a day I think about my brother who died in 2019.
Greg was such a great guy. Funny, in a wry, sarcastic way. Helpful to a fault. Easy to be around. Authentic—a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kinda guy. Intellectual yet down to earth. Caring, hard-working, ethical, loyal, modest, creative and reliable.
I always associate Greg with music. He was an accomplished musician. After he passed, a loved one transferred his recordings to digital files. I still have one of his songs downloaded on my phone. It used to feel odd, and a bit sad, to listen to his voice, but it doesn't anymore. His vocals are like poetry. I want to understand the significance of his words, but I'll never know why he wrote what he did.
More important than his words, however, were his actions. What I remember most about Greg were his acts of kindness—occasions when he went out of his way to help me and others, sometimes to his inconvenience.
When I started my cancer journey, I received or came across many quotes and poems that gave me strength to keep going when I was feeling down. One is especially relevant today as I recall my brother.
A Life that Matters
Live a life that matters
Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant
Even your gender and skin colour will be irrelevant.
So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstance, but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.
~ Author unknown
I am certain that many people have fond memories of Greg and feel a lasting loss because he's gone. I don't know that he chose to live a life that mattered (do any of us consciously make this choice?). But I do know that he mattered. He was a man of character. He was cherished.
Anaïs Nin said, "You cannot save people, you can only love them." I loved my brother, and I love him still.
Related Posts: Greg's Day 2020 | Greg's Day 2021 | Greg's Day 2022
