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

Sundays there's 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.

Happy Sunday. This week's thanks for being here is about a boy named Jack who died accidentally

in a freak flood in his neighborhood. Jack's mom Anna chronicled the loss in her New York Times

bestseller called Rare Bird, a memoir of loss and love. And Jack's aunt wrote a beautiful eulogy

for Jack that she recently shared with us. Her name is Liz. Hi guys, this is a message from Anna

Sister, Jack and Margaret's auntie. There is much more to say about Jack than I can possibly take

the time for today. School friends remember him as smart and kind and funny in the life of the

party. I'd like to tell you about the Jack I knew and loved and will celebrate for the rest of

my life. I've always marveled about how smart Jack was. He was an artist, a brilliant reader,

a mathematician, and a serious student of the Bible. He was so gifted in so many ways. He loved

creating stories and solving mental puzzles. During our last visit, he and his mom solved a logic

puzzle that the rest of the family had to use Google to figure out. And as most of us know, Jack

loved his Legos. Jack's passion for Legos was bigger than life. They were not just a toy to him,

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