Tags
Death, Dorothy, Family, High Holidays, newspaper, Obituary, prayer, Washington DC, Yamim Norim, Yizkor
Two women named Dorothy, born 6 months apart, died the same day at age 95. Their obituaries side by side in the daily paper. But Dorothy #1’s obit was just three short sentences; where she died, who handled the burial arrangements, that she’s survived by a cousin in Washington, DC.
Dorothy #2’s obit ran for over a full column. She was the matriarch of a huge family – lots of children, swarms of grandchildren and great-grands, and even a couple of great-great-grandchildren. She was loved and cherished, and her obit was filled with the joy of a life well lived.
In the weeks since I read the two obituaries, I have often wondered about the first Dorothy. Did she have a family and outlive everyone? Was she happy? Was she loved? What happened over the course of 95 years? Surely, there’s more to her story.
As we enter the Yamim Norim, the Days of Awe, we take stock of our own lives, and during the course of the High Holidays we recite Yizkor – literally, Memory.
May we remember to live our own lives fully, and remember those who have gone before us… especially those who have no one left to remember them.
SRQ Jew 
A friend sent me this as an e-mail and I thought it deserved to be here with the original post, because she makes an important point…
Interesting post–one thought from a non parent–please do not fall into the trap that the measure of a life is the number of descendants one has. Having children and grand children and greats is wonderful and a blessing; however, one can touch lives and have a meaningful life without procreating–or so I hope and try. Even if they are not logged or catalogued or even remembered.
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I hope my life is not defined by what a newspaper chooses to publish but rather how my friends and family remember me…..and even more, how I feel about myself at the end of my life.
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Well said!
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