Inspiration

I read the obituaries every day. I’m fascinated not by death, but by the kinds of lives that complete strangers have lived. A few people think my fascination with obituaries is downright morbid, but I contend that I am inspired to live a better life thanks to the strangers I’ve read about over the years.

One of the first things to catch my eye in an obituary is the name of the deceased and the descriptive phrase that follows it. Of all the obituaries I’ve read over the years one of my favorites has to be, Anna S. Berrien, 78; Howard Nurse Made a Mean Poundcake. The write up that followed told the story of a wonderful woman who worked the midnight shift to be able to spend more time with her children. She also chose to spend her work hours with patients suffering from tuberculosis. The part I liked the best, the golden line of the obituary that really made me smile, was that “she was known in her off-duty life for her stunningly moist pound-cake.” This was not the only pound cake obituary I’ve read, there was also the lovely lady who took it upon herself to bake Pound cakes and deliver them to people she deemed in need of a bit of cheering up. A recipe was included so readers could pass on the tradition.