What started out as an assignment, became an odd obsession.This obsession - the obsession with death seemed strange to others. For me  - it was really about the beginning of living. Living with a purpose in mind.

It began with my brother's suicidal death. For some, his death was a surprise. For me - it was the beginning of an exploration into his world. And a chance to wonder why we have a propensity to wait to tell people how we feel - in a poetic stance once they are gone. The perfect eulogy. I began by looking at my brothers life from a different angle.

This lesson about how to write a eulogy begins before death, really. It is a lesson about death and about expression. It is about telling those you love-why you love them before they are inexplicably removed from your life. Snuffed out.Gone.

It is also about how to begin the difficult process of finding out about those who at times, you did not see the good in them, and may have only focused on the bad things. It is also about how to proceed to find out; research and reveal the different aspects of their lives which will surface during your investigation and desire to write, the ultimate finall tribute in honor of them. In the process, you will discover three things.

Everyone has good. Everyone has bad. Everyone, has a unique and beautiful story waiting to be shared with those left behind.

In the process of writing a eulogy, your role is to round it out - present the story of their life. Better yet. Write it before they are gone and give it to them, now.