The recent death of Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce has been reported in the local newspapers the last few days. While I did not know him personally, his sudden death at the NJ State House this week did in some ways touch me deeply. Mr. DeCroce was from my voting District, he lived in the town next to mine, and his funeral service will be at a church that I have attended many times. Among many others, the Governor of NJ has been emotional about losing a good friend and mentor.
So how did his death affect me? Well for one thing, it was a reminder that tomorrow is not promised to any of us. The suddenness of DeCroce’s death caused me to think, “What if it was someone that I loved?” “What if it was me?” Would I regret not speaking to those I love a bit kinder, a bit more often?
DeCroce’s death also reminded me that I frequently don’t think about the impact I have on others around me. We interact with so many people over the course of our lifetime, that we all too often, don’t give it a lot of thought. His death reminded me to stop and think about my impact, to not take it too lightly; to do the best that I can with each encounter that I am a part of.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.
Coach Linda
Hi Linda,
Just found you on twitter.
Yes, when death comes to us, it’s a great reminder to live well and even better. If we take heed and listen, it’s tapping on our shoulder can serve us well in our own journey of living.
I just came from a funeral yesterday and will be paying a ‘shiva’ visit tonite to the family. This may sound wierd but I enjoy hearing eulogies. It’s just too bad people can’t hear their own eulogies – how they impacted upon others, the take-aways from their life. This ‘stuff’ needs to be expressed while we are living. I always feel sad that the dead can’t hear it all. (unless they can, which we don’t know – nobody has come back to report, ha) That’s why in the book, Tuesdays with Morrie, his idea of a living funeral is quite appealing to me.
Perhaps we can connect and talk. My site is http://www.rebuildyourlifecoach.com