VIVIAN

I spent the evening saying goodbye forever to a person I never met but who had a great impact on my life for the past 4 years. A beautiful tribute to a life well spent with "love, compassion, kindness, confidence and selflessness" as her son described it during the beautiful service.

After my first divorce I was looking for a place to stay and through blessed circumstances I moved in this house that instantly felt like home. I felt like I belong, a place I can call home. I never met the owner of the house as she had moved out to a nursing facility due to an illness. I often heard stories about the sweet lady that used to live there from my neighbors and sometimes I would learn about her from her son with whom I was in contact through the living arrangement.

I moved in on a hot summer day right before my 27th birthday. She had left behind a number of items including a large number of Christmas decorations. Although I love Christmas it has always been particularly hard to be away from my family during the holiday season and Christmas was never the same after moving away to the U.S. The first Christmas I spent in my new home I decided to put out all the Christmas decorations she left behind and everything changed. Christmas was Christmas again. They brought me so much joy, as the house looked magical, that I decided to keep them and put them out every year. And so I did, for the past 4 years. No matter how overwhelming it was being away from my family I felt peace and joy and that was the greatest gift.

Vivian past away and I felt compelled to say goodbye as even though we never met in person I felt like I met her in spirit, every Christmas. Every person that attended got to take home one of her Christmas decorations that the family gathered and decided to share them with family and friends as Vivian would. This Christmas I will decorate the house again, and the one after that, until it's time to pass on the joy. She made my life better and she didn't even know it! Rest in peace my dear friend!