Mark on Honoring a Life: Personal Ways to Keep Memories Alive

Funeral Fundamentals

It's natural to want to do something or give something when someone important to them dies. That's why flowers are such big business at funerals.

I read this morning that Toby Keith's family is asking fans to make donations to Toby's O.K. Kids Korral. He founded it in 2014. They provide a cost-free place for pediatric cancer patients and their families to stay while their children are undergoing cancer treatments.

Tributes To Those We've Lost

If you're on Facebook, you undoubtedly saw people posting a picture of a Red Solo Cup to pay tribute to Toby. And that got me thinking about my tributes to people that I've lost that were important to me. And how I remember them.

With my dad it's easy. Whenever I get to thinking about him, I just play one of his songs. It seems to do the trick every time.

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Every year on my brother John's birthday, I take his pistol and shoot it. It's the only time all year that that gun gets taken to the range.

Then there's my golfing buddy, Smilin' John Hanson. He was quite the quotable character. Whenever I get asked to play some golf, my answer is one of his. "Why wouldn't we?"

And John was notorious for leaving putts on the low side of the hole. And our entire group of IFT golfers still shout "High side, Hanson!" whenever somebody else in the group leaves one a little low.

I hope you haven't lost too many people important to you. But if you have, how do you pay tribute to them now that they're gone? I'll be interested to hear from you.