A Life Well Lived

Occasionally, a loved one bids adieu to life during the holiday season. While it might seem incongruous to be grieving over the death of someone at this festive time of year, in reality this season is all about celebrating life and our relationships with loved ones, and so it seemed appropriate and comforting to celebrate the good and happy life lived by Marie Peters, the mother of my friend, Mike Peters, of Baltimore, who passed away Sunday, December 18 at the age of 82. It was wonderful to see old friends at the visitation on December 21^st and at the funeral on the 22^nd . It was terrific to gaze upon the many photographs of this extraordinarily beautiful woman. And, most of all, I really enjoyed hearing the heartwarming stories of love and kinship relayed by family members and longtime friends during the funeral service. Marie’s was a life well-lived, and I realized there really was no better time to celebrate her joie de vivre than this joyous time of year.

For the evening visitation, I chose a black tuxedo-inspired coat-dress made by Studio I Petites for JCPenney that I purchased back when I worked at Penney’s in the 1970s and 1980s. The black satin trim didn’t seem out of place given the holiday season, and the dress was a warm choice on a chilly December night. For jewelry I chose a simple choker of black and gold chain links which is at least as old as the dress, with matching earrings and a beaded ring I purchased more recently at Pier One Imports.

For the funeral the next morning, I chose a simple black dress by Unite, which I have also owned for at least thirty years. For jewelry, I chose a necklace of subdued gray pearls by Fire & Ice Jewelers of Baltimore (http://www.fireandice.com/) and gray pearl earrings that belonged to my grandmother. My silvertoned metal filigree bracelet-watch is by Mixit for JCPenney.  On my feet I wore my favorite black pumps by Call It Spring for JCPenney.com. Since rain threatened, I covered the dress with a long, fitted raincoat by J.Peterman.com, decorated with a sheer black scarf embellished with gorgeous embroidered flowers -- a gift brought back to me from Turkey years ago.

Marie Peters was a delightful woman who shared her love of life with everyone she knew. It was a pleasure to know her and to participate in the warm family gathering at her visitation and funeral. She will be deeply missed.

Lynell