How will you be remembered?

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance.  Not just remembering the person but remembering their legacy, their gifts to the world, their community, their family.  We tell stories.  We look at pictures.  We are touched again by these people who have gone before us.

There are moments in time,  like Memorial Day, my 40th birthday, a visit to ground zero in NYC that give me pause.  I get off the merry-go-round long enough to wonder if I am making the right choices and how I will be remembered.

The 9-11 tragedy and the images that now surround ground zero should give us all pause.  The people who died that day started off their morning thinking it was just another day.  Just like we do, every day.

I found myself wondering what they would have done or said differently.  All the things that at the moment mattered — really didn't.

What if it had been you?

• Would you have shouted at the driver who cut you off?
• Would you be at the office and miss saying good night to your son or daughter?
• Would you worry about those five extra pounds?
• Would you panic at this quarter's sales numbers?
• Would you cling to that grudge?
• Would you worry about your blog's ranking?

Who would you think about? What would you do?  What would you say?  Why don't you say it today?

Here's my question for myself this Memorial Day.  And for you. 

How do you want your life to be measured?  What if today was the day?

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
Measure a year?

In daylights – in sunsets
In midnights – in cups of coffee
In inches – in miles
In laughter – in strife

In – five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life?

How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Seasons of love
Seasons of love

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Journeys to plan

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure the life
Of a woman or a man?

In truths that she learned
Or in times that he cried
In bridges he burned
Or the way that she died

It's time now – to sing out
Tho' the story never ends
Let's celebrate
Remember a year
In the life of friends

Remember the love
Remember the love
Remember the love
Measure in love

Measure
Measure your life in love
Seasons of love
Seasons of love

Note:  I took all of these photos on Memorial Day '07.  The 5th, 6th & 8th photos are of pictures that hang in the memorial area. (So they are my photos of someone else's photos) The rest are of artifacts in the area.  One of the most striking realizations as you walk around the site is the deep hunger people have to leave notes or messages.  They've written on signage, walls and anywhere they think their voice might be able to linger. 

It's not graffiti, it's grief.

The photos are mine, the lyrics belong to Jonathan Larson from the musical RENT.