Each Day is a Gift

Each day is a gift…this is something a dear family friend said. Her name was Marcia Ann Rapp Lutz and for more than forty years she was a friend to my parents and to our entire family…someone I have known my entire life. She had a quick wit, a keen sense of humor and an infectious smile and laugh. I couldn’t help but smile every time I saw her because she was just such a genuinely sweet soul. And sharing a funny story with her was always worth the reward at the end…her reaction…her laughter…priceless.

Unless you knew Marcia was sick, I doubt you’d ever guess anything was wrong with her. I never heard her complain in the seven years she battled cancer. She shared her worries and concerns with my mom and I’m sure with her family and close friends, but normally she was asking about others and trying to help others. A bittersweet memory I have of her is from about three years ago, when my grandmother had died and Marcia had come to pay her respects. When she approached my dad she simply said “aww Danny, you’re mom passed away. I’m so sorry.” Now here’s my Dad (64 years old at the time) and she calls him “Danny” and in that moment she sounded like a comforting mother and it was such a gentle expression of love and sorrow for my grandmother’s passing and for what my Dad was going through that it just broke my heart.

I have so many emotions today. Today is the day we say a final goodbye to Marcia, and I couldn’t be there…and I feel awful for not being there. Even though I know my parents passed along my condolences it’s just not the same. So I wanted to share with all of you just a little bit of who she was. She was a wife, a mother, an aunt, a sister and a friend, but she was so much more than just those titles…she was grace and charm and fun and joy. She loved life and lived it to the fullest until her body wouldn’t allow her to do everything she wanted and needed to do. I can only hope there is a life beyond this one and that Marcia is there watching over us all and waiting to share a joke and a smile if we ever meet again.

Her full obituary can be viewed at http://www.reinselfuneralhome.com.