To the Living

I am Gone

To the Sorrowful

I’ll never return

To the Angry

I was cheated

To the Faithful

I’ve never left

I can’t be seen

but I can still hear

I can’t speak

but I can still listen

so the next time you stand on a shore gazing at a beautiful sea

or look upon flowers to admire their simplicity

R E M E M B E R     M E

in your heart

of the times we fought

the times we cried

the times we laughed

the times we loved

Because if you always think of me

I  WILL  HAVE  NEVER  GONE

When do words become more than words?

.      .      .when they become

a       c       t       i       o       n     s

DAVE & BUSTERS

in Westlake, Ohio

did just that

a couple of weeks ago.

Two of their employees have recently died.

T H E Y

sent condolences.

T H E Y

sent flowers.

T H E Y

bought two benches

with the individuals names and very special sentiments on them

and put them in a very nice garden area right in front of their entrance

T H E Y

invited the members of their families

and their employees to come to

A Celebration Service

in their honors

before work

to  REMEMBER

“Anytime we come together to remember, it’s never long enough. . . “

I began

“It could be around a holiday table

It could be outback at a family reunion

It could be on a sunny morning before work, like this

but anytime we come together to remember–

it’s never long enough.   .   .    .”

“.     .     .but you haven’t come here to remember, have you?  

You’ve come here to be powerfully reminded that you haven’t come here to begin

only continue the celebrations of these two lives

in your lives

for the rest of your lives.  .  .  .”

and then I asked one of the most powerful

ever hard to answer question

that could ever be asked at

any Celebration service:

“WHAT’S   YOUR  FAVORITE  STORY?”

And then the stories of these two lives,

i n t e r m i n g l i n g l y

and were told

RE-MEMBERED

Put back together again

one after another

intermixed with tears

and laughter

and smiles

I reminded them:

“IT’S    NOT   ONE   THING”

.     .     .that the cliche

A  PICTURE  IS  WORTH  A  THOUSAND  WORDS

is   a    l i e

a million, maybe, but not a mere 1000.

I reminded them:

“BUT   YOU   DON’T   NEED   A   PHOTOGRAPH,   DO   YOU ?

I just need to say their names.    .    .

and it’s not a moment

it’s not a memory

it’s not an event

or an occasion

it’s a cascade of all of those things

water falling down over them

shouting for their attention.

DAVE & BUSTER’S

made sure

to show these families and friends

that the only thing more powerful than memories

is the love that makes them

everything they were

everything they are

everything they will forever be

by bringing people together

and making ongoing

new  memories

in the names

of those

we came

to celebrate.  .   .

and what better way to do that?

What Else?

A  BRUNCH!

DAVE & BUSTER’S

are Caring Catalyst’s

Who Cares

What Matters

by showing as long as we think of

T   H  E  M

T   H  E  Y

are never gone