Tell Their Story

 “Tomorrow there’ll be more of us, Telling the story of tonight”

This snippet of a song from Hamilton runs through my head on a loop. The Hamilton of that particular moment expected that one portion of this story to be told, the victory of him, Lafayette, Laurens and Mulligan. But that one moment only represents part of the story of Hamilton and his friends. No one night summarizes anyone’s life.

We just lost a dear friend to COVID. If you ask me to tell a story of Dennis, it doesn’t really come to any one night. I can remember certain moments, and conversations, but in reality what I remember is the arc of his life, the bent toward justice, kindness and compassion. It takes the whole for any one part to make sense. His laugh, his sparkling eyes, his welcoming presence, all fit together in endless moments of memories to form the essence we remember about him.

Like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, it’s not about a particular moment, but a life well lived, impacting more people than can be imagined. After Dennis died, the family received a barrage of notes, with stories they had never heard of people he had helped that they were not aware of. And only heaven has the full tale. That’s the real place our story fully reveals itself.

When I watch the play Hamilton, I don’t cry where I expected to, but always at the end when his wife sings the remix of this song, and says she’ll tell his story. Those left behind are charged with that responsibility. And after all Alexander and Eliza went through as a couple, his betrayal in so many ways, she still tells his story with love and commitment. So we lift up our loved ones, despite their foibles, and remember the impact they had on us and the world.

Dennis, we’ll tell your story friend.