You have to believe the saying, “Live each day as if it were your last.”
I really try to heed that bit of wisdom especially as I get older.
Let’s face it, life happens so fast for the first 25 years of existence. All that growing up, all the knowledge, all the relationships, and all the experiences one gains for the first quarter decade of life is jam packed with so many things hitting your brain, it could be downright exhausting.
There’s never any time to really sit back and smell the roses.
Eventually there’s marriage, a child, a second child and maybe even a third that come into your life. Life gets deeper and deeper with responsibilities and all of a sudden, you not only can’t smell the roses, but you forget what a rose looks like.
Life … it happens that way and you get lost and never worrying about anything but working, feeding your family and sleeping.
There’s never a chance to live your life like it’s your last day because there’s no time to do that either. Besides, when you’re young, who thinks of dying – pretty much no one does.
So when someone leaves the earth as their life is just getting into a groove, it’s shocking. When you couple that loss with someone who is well liked by everyone, it’s the worst hurt ever.
I’ve known Frank Gubbiotti, Frankie to his family and friends, for many, many years right through high school graduation. He was a really great guy, down to earth, funny, he was an outdoorsman, and he really enjoyed life.
That’s why it is so hard to come to the realization that he’s gone at the age of 29.
After high school, Frankie was taken under the wing of his Aunt Marilyn Gubbiotti, owner of the Gubbiotti Funeral Home on Wyoming Avenue in Exeter. The funeral home has stood on that same corner since his grandfather Frank became a funeral director in 1949.
My grandmother Fanti lived across the street on Penn Avenue and our two families go back a long way.
The Gubbiotti’s have always felt like family to me so much so that we have entrusted them to take many of my family to their final resting places.
Being in the funeral business cannot be an easy career choice, but Frankie made a decision to continue on with traditions started by his grandfather, upheld by his Aunt Marilyn and finally with him.
It didn’t surprise me when I heard he was going to attend Northampton Community College School of Funeral Service. He graduated and was licensed in 2013.
For the past seven years, Marilyn has been a mentor and guide for Frankie to help him succeed her when she decides to retire.
I’ve always enjoyed talking to Frankie no matter where and when. Even if I stopped at their funeral home to pay my respects to a departed friend, I would always find my way to their office to sit and chat with both Marilyn and Frankie.
Death is a tough business, but the two always had a way of making you comfortable during an unhappy situation.
I am sad Frankie is gone. I’m sad I won’t get to see him grow into his personal and public life. I’m sad I won’t see him marry and have children. I’m sad I won’t ever see his smile again. Mostly, I’m sad for his family – a good family, a close family, a family of service that lost a son, a brother and a nephew.
I’m not alone in my sadness and I know all those lives he touched either through friendship or professionally; his death has created a huge void in so many lives.
You know when someone was meaningful to people by the vast reaction on social media. There was a huge outpouring of love and I hope Frankie’s family takes some solace knowing how loved Frankie really was.
Those of us that have known him and loved him will continue to do so, and we will never forget him for being a great person, a genuine person and a gentle man.
Virus spikes
The naysayers still seem to not take the coronavirus too seriously and with spikes in Florida, Texas, Arizona and South Carolina, it still has a stronghold on the nation.
It also seems to be a political issue and I don’t really get why. This is not a Democratic or Republican thing, but it’s clear the line has been drawn in the sand on what party favors defying CDC rules and what party obeys the CDC.
A lot of people are still bent out of shape about wearing a mask and yes, it is weird and it can be uncomfortable, and hot, and it can feel like you lack oxygen, but honestly, the only way to really protect yourself is by wearing the darn thing.
Now that our county is in the green, we have to stay vigilant, stay the course, wear the mask, practice social distancing and just be smart. Don’t jump the gun.
Hopefully a resolve is right around the corner and hopefully we can get back to going to ballgames, concerts, pack restaurants, host large parties, shake hands and hug each other.
For health sake, try to follow the rules for a bit longer.
Quote of the week
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela
Thought of the week
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped in dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.” – Steve Jobs
Bumper sticker
“Whoever is happy will make others happy too.” – Anne Frank
