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Lessons From Rayna

The Readers Digest was almost a required read in my household growing up. I remember reading the jokes and funny stories that people submitted and thinking, "If only something that funny would happen to me, I might have the chance to win 250 bucks for my story." Mostly, it was a source of laughter and feel-good anecdotes. One series that I particularly liked was the "most unforgettable" character series. We all have people like that in our lives. Unforgettable folks whose voices ring clearly in our heads at the most unexpected moments. Whose faces we can trace without a blink. And whose absence leaves a void that no other can fill.



Thirteen years ago today, I lost my dear friend, Rayna. Talk about an unforgettable character. I can still see her cheeks welling up and eyes narrowing as she tried to hold back the fit of laughter, which would surely reveal the practical joke she had laid out for me. Some things were just too good to pass up, and for Rayna, laughter was one of them.

But while she could brighten up your day with a smile and a chuckle, she was serious when it came to caring for people. That is all she wanted out of life. Just barely into med school, a car accident took her life long before she could ever join Doctors Without Borders and travel the world saving lives and making each part she visited that much better.

While we tend to look towards those who have achieved that which we hope to in life as role models, I still consider Rayna one of the most golden examples of how to live this life we have been given. Here are just a few lessons I carry with me to this day.

  • Jump and splash in each and every puddle after the first rain that ends a long drought.
  • Laugh until it hurts.
  • Laugh in spite of the hurt.
  • Be your brother's keeper.
  • When in doubt, channel a Molly Shannon SNL character
  • Care because you can and because it is what God expects of you.
  • Be there.
  • Share your joy and let others share theirs.
  • Pitch in.
  • Appreciate that people are different from you.
  • See the good in everything and every one.
  • Seek ways to make things better for those who can't themselves.
In other words, appreciate the gifts you are given in life and use them to the fullest.

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