Welcome to Thanks for being here. Very short pod that comes out every Sunday morning as

Sundays are such a good time to let go of the day to day and touch base with what matters,

what will matter and what will have mattered. The answer to that question for me is often

found in ceremonies I could watch strangers get married once a week and I'm even more affected

by funerals. Sitting in a service, taking in the story of one life, just another ordinary

person who they loved and who loved them. In a way, eulogies are about the most succinct

source of clarity and direction I can think of. So I ask listeners who have lost someone dear

to share their words and every week I'll read one eulogy here so that we don't forget

there is a point to the pain. We have much to offer. We affect each other deeply and that ordinary

lives are really kind of exquisite when you look at them closely. This is thanks for being here.

Hi guys. This week's thanks for being here comes from a very special source. A woman named

PT Pat Teal died a few months ago. She is the mother of Tammy Steadman, my producer. This eulogy

was written by Tammy Sister Amy. My mom's gift was noticing people. I mean really paying attention

and listening to their problems. She was endlessly curious about who people were below the surface

of their job as her colleague or as her plumber or her waitress. She wanted to know who you were

what your story was, who you knew so she could help you or connect you to someone else who could.

Everyone was someone to get to know and standing in line anywhere often became her own personal party

and no man no matter his age was not worth flirting with. Whether she was sending as she would say

a little money to me for Valentine's Day, picking up green beans at the organic produce store for

her neighbors every week or remembering all the birthdays, she somehow found time to notice everyone

and make them feel like they mattered. My mom noticed a guy named Robbie when he started coming to

the Ridley Park Lake a few years ago. Every single day in the early evening in the warmer weather,

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