Today I went to a memorial service of a longtime family friend of my grandparents who passed away last week. I was never close with Mr. H but from what I knew of him, he was a great man.

Mr. H and his wife lived in the same senior complex that my grandmother lives in. A few months ago I heard that he was not doing well and had some health problems. Recently I heard that he took a turn for the worse. He had hospice care coming to his home to help out and was basically waiting to die. Despite all of his pain and problems, we was still in good spirits and was fighting the best he could. Before he died my grandmother stopped by to visit. Mr. H told my grandmother something that really stuck with me. I can't remember exactly how he phrased it but it was something to the effect that he felt so blessed to know that he was dying because it gave him the opportunity to personally say his goodbyes to his friends and family. When my grandmother told me that it kind of stuck with me. I was impressed with how he managed to face his end so positively and try to live the time he had left to the fullest.

Today, at the service, one of his sons mentioned this same thought to us when he spoke. He said that one of Mr. H's many relatives kept a bedside watch by him every night these past few weeks while he slept. Most of the time spent at his bedside was spent reading while Mr. H slept but sometime through the night Mr. H would wake up because he remembered one more thing that he wanted to tell the person spending time with him before he died. Mr. H. had so much to share and he really took advantage of the time he had left to do it.

Rest in peace Mr. H. You will be missed by many people.