How We Live, Not How Long We Live

This past Friday night, a surprising conversation came up at our dinner table. My daughter mentioned that she learned Moses had a very long life and so he accomplished many things. OK! It could not believe it. I had spent the last few days thinking about short and long lives as I prepare for my sister's yertzeit coming up this week. My sister did not have a long life. She passed away very suddenly at 32 years old. I was a bit rattled when my daughter brought this up at the table. The question of how much to and how much not to share about her death and death itself with my children has been a journey. But, it seemed like the right time to talk about her upcoming yertzeit. We talked about the concept that the accomplishments of our lives have very little to do with how long we lived but how we lived. This preliminary discussion about how we spend the time we have was meaningful. I realize it's a conversation we need to keep having over and over again. I look forward to continuing to share with them them all the wonderful gifts my sister shared and the details of her very accomplished life. May her memory be a blessing.