A Life Well Lived

In the wee hours of the morning, my dear friend and supervisor, Maury Smeyne left us after a short battle with cancer. It was actually his second battle. Years ago he had been given a five per cent chance of survival with a brain tumor. He told us one morning at the “huddle” we have every morning at work that it suddenly dawned on him that he had a five per cent chance of making it, and he decided he would take that chance! He won that battle and lived years after it!

He was one of the kindest, most positive people I have ever known. If you didn’t set your goal high enough, he let you know, and if you weren’t living up to your potential, he let you know that, also. You found yourself wanting to succeed to make Maury smile, and to make him proud! He passed around copies of his favorite book, Rhinoceros Success, and he’d often remind us that we were  rhinos. Take charge! When he loaned me the book, I had read it before, so I just skimmed it and gave it back in a few days. It didn’t do much for me at the time, but Maury’s infectious attitude and willingness to help and encourage me did a lot for me. Today, after realizing my loss, I ordered two copies of the book, one to keep and one to share.

What kind of person chooses the word, “laughter” as their password to their Caringbridge website? Only a very special, positive, loveable person. He asked for our corny jokes and over the last several weeks, all of us who loved him were happy to accommodate. He kept his sense of humor to the last, and I feel confident heaven is happier for having him there. I also know that he left us all with a gift, a  gift of expecting the best of life and of ourselves, of never giving up, and of reaching deep inside to be the best we can be.

I am inspired to live well, to laugh much, to lift up others, to bring out the best in others, to dig deeper, be more, bring more joy, love more deeply, and to expect miracles.

Today’s Verse: Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:24

Try this: Hold your loved ones close today, and brighten someone’s day with a good, corny joke.