my own eulogy
Last night my poor husband had to sit next to me on the couch while I cried through the entire one-hour memorial service for Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter. Even today I can't get it out of my head (of course, it doesn't help that the memorial service is headline news on every major news site this morning). Now, admittedly, I'm an emotional person, and crying is something that hits me pretty easily. On the wrong day I'll cry at a sad song on the radio or a silly TV commercial about a dad taking his daughter on a business trip.
Even so, I never knew Steve Irwin personally. I've never been to Australia or to his zoo. In fact, in the last couple years my dedication to his show has waned, and I've started finding other Animal Planet shows I prefer (please don't tell). And yet his death has been so sad. What was it about this particular man that touched the hearts of so many worldwide, and made me actually cry in sadness over his death? He was a lunatic: jumping into crocodile-infested waters head first, grabbing poisonous snakes by the tail, and chasing giant Komodo Dragons down the beach. His untimely death was something we should have expected on a daily basis, and yet somehow he seemed invincible. His antics were pure lunacy, and yet somehow endearing. Its so ironic that his death was caused by a usually docile and gentle creature, while filming a kids show, no less. And like Russell Crowe himself said last night in a tribute, its simply unfair.
But there's something more about who Steve Irwin was that touched the world. Yes, he was crazy. But his passion and his enthusiasm were centered. His lunacy was focused. He was exactly who he seemed to be: a passionate family man, a man truly fascinated by the world around him, and wholly interested in saving and building and preserving it. I'm not a big Kevin Costner fan (well, except for Dances with Wolves and Field of Dreams), but he summed it up pretty well in saying Steve Irwin was brave enough to show the world who he really was. And that is a hard thing to do in a day and age of microscopic scrutiny of our very beings. It was these qualities that helped him effect some real changes on an international scale. It was these qualities that endeared him to people on an international scale.
And so I wonder if each of us found in Steve Irwin a little bit of who we'd like to be. Enthusiastic, passionate, real, and a little bit crazy. He captured the imagination of the world while he taught us to love the crocodiles and the snakes and the lizards. He was truly a remarkable man. And even though I didn't know him, it still feels like we've lost a friend.
There is another side of Steve Irwin's death that has struck a chord within me. Steve's death was untimely, and really, it was unfair. Death from a stingray's sting is highly unusual; how ironic that it should kill a man who daily wrestled crocodiles and snakes. He was only 44, and left behind a wife and two young children (the ones for whom my heart truly grieves). For me, it's a reminder to live life well, and to live it well today, because we don't know what tomorrow might hold.
That's one of the things that made him unique ... he never wasted a day of his life. And maybe that's another quality he had that the rest of us envy a little. He DID live his life fully, he made every day count, and so even at just 44, he leaves behind an amazing worldwide legacy. Steve's family, his friends, will never have to wonder what he truly cared about or how he felt about them. And that is a blessing indeed. Wouldn't we all like to do the same? Today is the day to go after the thing we've only been dreaming about, today is the day to jump into the croc-infested waters head first. Yes, we might crack a rib or break a finger, but what if it's the last chance we have? (Please excuse my cheesy analogies.) Today is the day to go after the things we're passionate about, the things we believe in, the things we might be nervous about doing. Because there might not be a tomorrow.
The one main thing left nagging about all this is I have no idea if Steve ever wrestled with God. A friend of Amy's insists Terri is a Christian because she grew up at the same church in Oregon as he did. But a belief in God was never real evident, at least through the TV shows and interviews I've seen. Hopefully, Terri at least has that in the back of her head somewhere, and in her time of grief that somehow she can find and cling to Him. I only pray that through Steve's death, God does amazing things in the lives of his family, and all who knew him.
Even so, I never knew Steve Irwin personally. I've never been to Australia or to his zoo. In fact, in the last couple years my dedication to his show has waned, and I've started finding other Animal Planet shows I prefer (please don't tell). And yet his death has been so sad. What was it about this particular man that touched the hearts of so many worldwide, and made me actually cry in sadness over his death? He was a lunatic: jumping into crocodile-infested waters head first, grabbing poisonous snakes by the tail, and chasing giant Komodo Dragons down the beach. His untimely death was something we should have expected on a daily basis, and yet somehow he seemed invincible. His antics were pure lunacy, and yet somehow endearing. Its so ironic that his death was caused by a usually docile and gentle creature, while filming a kids show, no less. And like Russell Crowe himself said last night in a tribute, its simply unfair.
But there's something more about who Steve Irwin was that touched the world. Yes, he was crazy. But his passion and his enthusiasm were centered. His lunacy was focused. He was exactly who he seemed to be: a passionate family man, a man truly fascinated by the world around him, and wholly interested in saving and building and preserving it. I'm not a big Kevin Costner fan (well, except for Dances with Wolves and Field of Dreams), but he summed it up pretty well in saying Steve Irwin was brave enough to show the world who he really was. And that is a hard thing to do in a day and age of microscopic scrutiny of our very beings. It was these qualities that helped him effect some real changes on an international scale. It was these qualities that endeared him to people on an international scale.
And so I wonder if each of us found in Steve Irwin a little bit of who we'd like to be. Enthusiastic, passionate, real, and a little bit crazy. He captured the imagination of the world while he taught us to love the crocodiles and the snakes and the lizards. He was truly a remarkable man. And even though I didn't know him, it still feels like we've lost a friend.
There is another side of Steve Irwin's death that has struck a chord within me. Steve's death was untimely, and really, it was unfair. Death from a stingray's sting is highly unusual; how ironic that it should kill a man who daily wrestled crocodiles and snakes. He was only 44, and left behind a wife and two young children (the ones for whom my heart truly grieves). For me, it's a reminder to live life well, and to live it well today, because we don't know what tomorrow might hold.
That's one of the things that made him unique ... he never wasted a day of his life. And maybe that's another quality he had that the rest of us envy a little. He DID live his life fully, he made every day count, and so even at just 44, he leaves behind an amazing worldwide legacy. Steve's family, his friends, will never have to wonder what he truly cared about or how he felt about them. And that is a blessing indeed. Wouldn't we all like to do the same? Today is the day to go after the thing we've only been dreaming about, today is the day to jump into the croc-infested waters head first. Yes, we might crack a rib or break a finger, but what if it's the last chance we have? (Please excuse my cheesy analogies.) Today is the day to go after the things we're passionate about, the things we believe in, the things we might be nervous about doing. Because there might not be a tomorrow.
The one main thing left nagging about all this is I have no idea if Steve ever wrestled with God. A friend of Amy's insists Terri is a Christian because she grew up at the same church in Oregon as he did. But a belief in God was never real evident, at least through the TV shows and interviews I've seen. Hopefully, Terri at least has that in the back of her head somewhere, and in her time of grief that somehow she can find and cling to Him. I only pray that through Steve's death, God does amazing things in the lives of his family, and all who knew him.
