In Honor of a Life Well-Lived: My eulogy for my Grandmother, Jane

Maximum Enthusiasm

I had this incredible honor and privilege of writing the eulogy for my beloved Grandmother, Jane Hottman. In this era of COVID, funerals are not held in churches, attended in person by all of her loved ones. Instead, they are delivered virtually, online, via a slideshow of photos, songs, and recorded eulogy audio. And so it came to be that I had the opportunity to reflect on my 41 years with my Grandmother Jane... to undertake the impossible mission of reducing her incredible life to words and to attempt to impart her lessons, wisdoms, and strengths, on anyone who may listen. I have always believed strongly in Stephen Covey's "begin with the end in mind" principle- to envision your OWN funeral, who is attending, and what you might wish they would say about you. And then- to go out and to live your life in accordance with those remembrances. If you want your spouse to say that you were a loving, kind, supportive partner -then each day, live in such a way that those sentiments are spoken authentically about you. So many people say their family comes first in their lives, and yet so few people live and act as though that is really true. My Grandma Jane truly did put family first -in everything she did and said- in the plans she made, in the way she ran her businesses, her finances, her schedule. Her family TRULY did come first -and we all knew how much she loved us. How many of us can say that will truly be our legacy? Well here's a tip: each day we can shape our legacy by the way we lead our households and the way we live our lives. Starting now. Starting TODAY. If you prefer the written word over audio to truly soak up my message about Grandma Jane, please visit MaximumEnthusiasm.com to read the eulogy. Thank you for letting me tell you about our amazing Jane- our family matriarch and guiding light. May she rest in peace.