Funerals

I have been to a lot of funerals over the last two months.

It might be something in my line of work or perhaps just one of those stages in life I’m going through.

So I thought I would share a few of my observations.

It can be of comfort to know that the person who has passed away has lived a long and fulfilling life. When it’s clear that someone has made the most of their time and their family loves them deeply, though sad, their long life shows they have often lived really well.

Staying fit, healthy and loving seems to make for a very fulfilling life lived.

Then there are the funerals where sometimes we learn that decisions made along the way have left a few gaps in someone’s life.  The family are supportive and caring but you get a sense there are feelings of lost opportunities.

Then there are the funerals of a young person who made a difference in their profession, family life and community, these show us that they are a great loss to us all. The love they showed and the love shown to them shines through.

There is no moral to this update, as death is a part of life.  While we can plan for it, we don’t know when it will happen.  It’s a reminder that we all need to make the most out of every opportunity, making sure that we look after the people we care about and who care about us.

This way we can make sure we have sad, yet happy people at our farewell. We will know that we made a difference to them and they made a difference to us.

Grant Uridge is chairman of Plus4 Insurance Solutions, a national insurance broking and financial adviser group.