A Funeral, a Reflection, and a Passion

I recently attended the memorial service of the brother of a friend of mine. Funerals are interesting affairs. On the one hand, we say goodbye and mourn the passing of a beloved person who we no longer have in our everyday midst. On the other hand, we take the time to say hello to those whom we perhaps haven't seen for a while. It becomes a family reunion, a friends reunion, and a time to reflect back a bit, not just upon the life of the one who has passed on, but also our own lives. 

It's when we ask ourselves, does our own moment in time count? 

Does what I do matter: to me, to my friends and family, to those I work with?  Do I do my best to use my talents to make things a bit better within my own sphere of influence?

In Rick Warren's book, "The Purpose Driven Life-What On Earth Am I Here For?," Rick proposes that our main purpose in life is to make God happy.  He says that one of the ways we can "make God smile" is to make the most of our aptitudes and "gifts." When I used to teach Sunday school, we'd tell our students not to "hide your light under a basket."

When we take the time to truly collaborate with people, I believe we help them, and ourselves, become the best we can be.  We shine the light on ourselves and others. We bring out talents and aptitudes, and we make improvements within our sphere of influence.

Become a passionate collaborator. Make a difference in someone's life by actively listening to them, respecting them, soliciting ideas, resulting in shared solutions that bring out the best in everyone!