Tomorrow is not promised.

In memory of Nancy Floyd. 

I’m not a fan of death. I personally would like to avoid it, but it’s a reality that we all have to face. White, black, rich, poor. Southern or Northern. We all die.

Today, I’m dealing with death. Today, we bury my friend’s mom. A woman who was so special and so loved. She genuinely made the day better for the people she was around. I’m listening to the stories. I’m listening to the sadness and the shock. She was too good. Too nice. Too kind. Too loving. Too happy. She made everyone else happy. This is a woman who should be alive so she can continue to spread goodness, love, happiness, and the wisdom she was known for. She should get to continue to be a great mom. A great wife. A great grandmother. This is stupid, unfair, wrong. She was only 55. She was fit and happy and healthy. Her mom is still alive. She lived a good life with her husband and an aneurysm changed all that in the blink of an eye. We can’t blame anyone or anything. There was no crime. No negligence. No self destruction. No bad habits. No cancer to blame. No genetic indicators. She is just gone. There are no answers. 

This is one of the things I want to ask God when I get to meet him. Why her? Why now? It doesn’t make sense. (My personal opinion is that God created sets of rules on earth: genetics, environment, free will, science, economics. They are all real. Time on earth is subject to them. While we get blessings and consequences that can overcome some of these. Life isn’t just about being good or being bad. It’s a big part, but other realities exist.) Bad people can live a long time spreading misery and hate, but a great woman’s life is cut short? However, tomorrow is coming… then next week, Christmas, and the new year. Time keeps moving forward. 

She lived a great life. It was too short, but still a legacy was created. Now that the reality is what it is, I’m looking to the future. This great woman has set an incredibly high bar for her family and friends and we want to honor her and make her proud even after death.

She has children that will forever try to achieve that high bar. Being kind, compassionate, loving, and forgiving. Raising their children to do the same. To continue to spread goodness and have a positive impact on those they come in contact with. This death was shocking and unexpected. It feels so wrong. I can only hope that in this sadness and tragedy it shakes the core of a few souls. It changes the morals and values of a few people for the better. To have a lasting impact, to be kinder and more loving. I know her immediate family will be working to achieve the high bar of living she set. I just hope it impacts more, myself included. There were so many people at her viewing that were genuinely sad to lose her. She impacted so many people. My funeral today wouldn’t have that many people. Not even close. My new goal might be to have as many people sad about my passing as Nancy Floyd had. Which means I’ve got to bring happiness to those around me, day in and day out just as she did.