...It is about Appreciation.
The etymology of the word eulogy is:
mid-15c., from Gk. eulogia "praise,"
from eu- "well" + -logia "speaking,"
from logos "discourse, word," from legein "speak."
Eu legein meant "speak well of."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At a recent get-together, I found myself watching Y out of the corner of my eye.
She was smiling, carrying on as if people had no knowledge of her ominous prognosis of Stage IV Breast Cancer.
She works as a physician and continues with her life as a wife, mother to two, sister and a friend to many.
I had never been really close to her, but we've been acquainted for a long time.
In the 12+ years that I grew up with her, she had always been nice to me.
Smart (the type that regularly got exempted from final exams) and talented but never arrogant. A kind and a very decent person.
Always a leader, but not a power tripper.
That night, I was in awe of how upbeat she was despite all that she was going through.
As the evening wrapped up, I impulsively told her what I thought of her.
I know she knew why I told her this,
because she smiled, hugged me and said: "I'm fighting this--but thank you."
When did the word eulogy evolve to mean: "To speak well of someone only upon death?"
Why wait?
X
