Celebrate Life With Those You Love

The darkness of winter and the heavy clothes to stay warm from the bitter cold seem to add to a feeling of a sort of human hibernation for me. I could easily get lost in deep thought questioning why people do the things they do, making a choice of their own that takes away a choice for so many others. And just as I descend deeper in thought, a reporter's voice breaks through to inform me and all others listening that Dan Parmenter told his friend that when he dies to celebrate his life. Those words reminded me that living life and creating memories for those that love us and to give them something to celebrate at a time that otherwise could be so cold, dark and isolated, is a gift. To live life with love, laughs, tears, and other emotion is to be alive and able to make memories. While I am a NIU graduate student, I didn't know personally Dan Parmenter, Ryanne Mace, Gayle Dubowski, Catalina Garcia, or Julianna Gehant to be able to celebrate their life with a memory; however, what better way to honor them then to know they inspire us to live in a way that will create memories for our loved ones to celebrate our own life when the time comes.