Yesterday was overwhelming.

In the morning, I was honoured to be part of leading a family in their final goodbyes to a loved mother and grandmother. A small ceremony in a lounge saw a final celebration of – by all accounts – an amazing woman’s life.

In the afternoon, Yolanda and I celebrated our friend, David Crewe-Brown’s 40th birthday with a ton of other people. It could very well have been his funeral, as Samantha – his wife – reminded us. David has faced a battle against cancer over the last 18 months. I shared some of his journey on this blog in the early days of his illness. He is now in remission. What might have been a very sad day was quite the opposite.

So, two emotional events in one day: Both, celebrating life. One, laced with sadness and the other bursting with joy.

I was quite teary at both events, to be honest. The crying had actually started the night before when I watched ‘The Croods’ with my girls. All the dad and daughter bits really got to me.

Here’s the heart of all this self reflection:

Our lives are brief. Death always comes too soon, no matter what one’s age. We have to make the most of every moment.

Relationships are more important than any other achievements or accolades. Jeanne’s family spoke with pride of her many successes. David must be one of the most exceptional people I know. He is respected and recognised for this. However, both of their most obvious successes is that of legacy. Their lives matter because of the impact they have in the lives of others. There is no time for unforgiveness and grudges. Rather, like trees with Oxygen, we should understand what life giving thing it is that we have been tasked to give back to the world.