Obituaries are sad things. With an economy of words, just like the statement of this man's nephew, someone attempts to summarize a whole life. An obituary is a listing of just a few standard facts. It is so sparse that it can feel as bad as the death itself. Name, age, date of death, relatives names, place and time of the funeral, and maybe a little about one's work.
Gravestones are even sparser.
Name, date of birth, date of death. I remember that funeral each autumn because autumn brings with it the reality that all of the vibrant growth of summer has its limits. Plants stop growing, and they die, and we begin to wonder what all this is for. I remember that funeral when I start thinking about what kind of mark I'll leave on this earth. In nearly everything we do, we are driven to accomplish something and to make our lives have some meaning.