Eulogy for a Goose

Fall 2022

Thank you all for gathering here today.

Today we celebrate life in all forms. Today we celebrate a humble goose. A good goose.

A goose we barely knew, yet we are here today to share in this passing.

To acknowledge the end of a life well-lived is to look at one’s own path. The summation of experiences lived, of memories shared, and the promises of one’s unique future.

Who are we?  Where will we go?  What will be our greatest memory?  What will be our saddest?

As we reflect, remember: Life is not fully lived in the extremes, the happiest or saddest. The biggest or the smallest.

True life is the collection of moments, between the big's and the small's, the good's and the bad's.

True life is made up of moments like this one right now. Even the smallest moments build upon each other to create a beautiful timeline of who we are, where we come from, and where we will go.

Yes, even the smallest moments matter. This goose mattered. The loss of this great goose is felt by the entire flock.

As the flock returns to the sky, to travel into the great perhaps of life, there is a space that cannot be filled. There is a space that was meant for one goose in particular, a goose who has passed on to their next great adventure.

We honor their honks. The flap of their wings. The power of their presence.

We honor the space left behind in the wake of their unexpected exit.

We will all exit this earth, on timelines yet unknown. All we have in this life are the connections that we make, the experiences that we share, and the memories that will outlast our final breaths.

Let today serve as a reminder, that we are all of the same flock.

And that the strength of the flock does not lie in a single goose, but in the support and fellowship of the geese (and friends) who become our family in this great life.

And in the lives we will all go on to live.