Jon Crispin's Notebook

I was in Farmington, CT yesterday driving down Main Street when these two words caught my eye.   I knew that the phrase had something to do with death, and after doing a little reading, I learned a bit more.  The literal translation is “remember you must die” or “remember you will die”.  In classical times, it was said to victorious soldiers by their slaves to remind them that their good fortune could change at any moment.  In other words, we are all mortal and sooner or later…..pfffft.  It still seems like a good idea to think about this from time to time.  For me, the only consolation in losing people close to me has been to let the loss reinforce the idea that being alive is amazing and I should feel very grateful for my wonderful life and all of my lovely friends and family.