Cassandra Jane A.

Sanggumay Grade 10-Aquamarine

Special Occasion Speeches Eulogy

Forever – is Composed of Nows

I cannot believe Cassandra is now gone; her soul has reached the afterlife. And before I
pay a tribute, I'd like to thank you for attending this funeral. You may know Cassandra as
someone who can be uptight and condescending. Yeah, I can't say anything to disagree with that.
But, as a friend of hers, I know her as someone who'll help a buddy anytime; I'd also consider her
the mother of the group, with all being upright, of course. She has been the shoulder I lean on
whenever things get rough, so I was glad when she said she wanted to be a psychologist because
I can get that free therapy. She might be tense sometimes, but that's because she cares about what
people think of her, maybe even too much.

I'd like to commemorate Cassandra's soul with a line from her favorite poet, Emily
Dickinson because that's the only poet she knows. "Forever – is composed of Nows" It perfectly
describes how Cassandra lived her life. She carpe diem'd all the way. She experienced a life she
will not regret living. She might not have taken all of those risks, but every day she tries to learn
more about existence. And as a person, she always tries to be ethical and moral about her actions
and decisions.

I remember the time when she just blathered about the story of one of her favorite shows,
and I specifically remember the quote that altered my brain chemistry. "Picture a wave in the
ocean: you can see it, measure it, its height, the way the sunlight refracts, and then it crashes on
the shore, and then it’s gone. But the water is still there. The wave was just a different way for
the water to be for a little while. The wave returns to the ocean, where it came from, and where
it’s supposed to be." The quote is one conception of death for a Buddhist. That quote stuck with
me. It gave me a new perspective on life and death. Cassandra once told me that she imagines the
afterlife as a peaceful place to be in, where all the agony is gone and all suffering is repented of.
She doesn't believe in the concepts of heaven or hell. Maybe also because of all the shows and
movies she watched. And she might also think that, with those concepts, her actions and values
might be corrupt.

Although this day is about grieving, I still hoped that you knew something more about
Cassandra. About her favorites, her values, and her personality. And as I'm about to end, I'd like
to revisit her last words: "Death is inevitable; it's life itself that needs to be memorable."