As the sun sets

You may  have noticed (or not) that I have been absent from the Blogosphere for the last couple of weeks. We have been in Mazatlan, Mexico, celebrating the life of a dear friend.

A photo of a man surrounded by flowers.
Raymond Dennis Wright, Rey Sin Corona, 01/23/1953-09/15/2022

Making new friends, and embracing old friends.

A group of friends in matching hoodies.
Ray’s gang: old friends and new
Eight adults in Mazatlan, Mexico.
At the Observatory in Mazatlan

Eating, drinking, and being merry.

Salad.
Mojito.
BBE (Beggar's Banquet) band at Surf's Up Cafe.
BBE (Beggar’s Banquet) playing at Surf’s Up Cafe

Taking long, contemplative walks on the beach.

Beach in Mazatlan.

Digging up treasures along the way.

Sand dollars and sea glass.

Watching breathtaking sunsets.

Sunset over the ocean in Mazatlan.
Photo credit: Larry Hawkes

And counting the waves.

Ocean waves and clouds.

We all live on borrowed time

Ray would be so pleased to see how he continues to bring people together even after his passing. I would like to share a short passage from his obituary:

We all live on borrowed time, some more than others. People come and go so unexpectedly that we sometimes forget that nothing really lasts as long as we hoped it would. On September 15th, the world shifted as the weight of one remarkable man was lifted above. Raymond Wright aka Rey Sin Corona, as he would remark, King without a Crown, heard the music in the sky. As the sun sets on your life, we’re encouraged a new way each day through the way you lived. 

Ray loved a good party, where people are laughing, dancing, singing and having fun. He loved being in a room filled with positive energy and happiness, and enjoyed watching people smile. To honour him is to dance, laugh, sing, whistle, smile, hug, and fill your soul with happiness and feel an abundance of love.

~Obituary of Raymond Dennis Wright

Your turn

In honor of someone you love, won’t you take some time today to laugh, dance, sing, or do whatever fills your soul with happiness and an abundance of love.

Two guitars in front of a spray of red roses.

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22 Comments

  1. Hi Christie, what a wonderful way to celebrate your friend’s life. He must have been quite the character. Indeed, we all live on borrowed time. Doing my best to make the most of every day.

  2. He sounds like he would have been a fabulous friend and it’s so good that you all got to celebrate his life together and to honour his passing. Life is indeed short, and when we lose someone close to us it really reinforces how important it is to make the most of the time we have left. xx

    1. Ray was a good friend, Leanne, and I am so happy we got to honor him as we did. His loss is an important reminder to embrace our lives and our loved ones while we are here on earth. We were with him last April and had no idea it would be the last time.

  3. Hi, Christie – My deep condolences on the loss of your dear friend. What a wonderful tribute to him. The passage that you shared from his obituary is incredibly moving. Sending warm hugs your way

  4. I’m pleased to see you back to blogging, but understand the importance of what you were doing. My condolences about your loss, but know that Ray would take joy in the way you crafted this positive post.

  5. I’m sorry for your loss, Christie. But still – what a joyful way to celebrate the life of your friend. And I love the expression to celebrate their life instead of saying goodbye or going to their funeral. My grandma was a wonderful personality who loved music and a good coffee party, and before she died she had said that at her funeral she wanted people to enjoy themselves with coffee, cake and music. And there certainly was an abundance of coffee and cake – and a group of us played some local fiddle tunes.

  6. Ally Bean sent me.
    Lovely post Christie, those photos are simply gorgeous. They’ll be wonderful memories of celebrating Ray’s life. I’m in full agreement that life is to be lived as best one can and there is noting more ‘best’ than friends, love, laughter, food, music …

  7. You were missed Christie, but what you were doing was important and must’ve taken a considerable amount of emotional energy. I’m so glad you were able to say such a wonderful farewell to your friend – he sounds like he was someone very special.

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