Longtime friend.

Hello friends of Raymond McGlamery.

I am very sorry to tell you all that our brother Raymond past away last night at 8:10 pm cmt.

His family and loved ones were by his side.

He fought for so long.

He never complained.

He wanted everyone to cherish life!

He shared his unfortunate journey with cancer and always found the silver lining.

The McGlamery family is very appreciative for the support and thankful to be surrounded by loving family and friends.

These beautiful words written below (on Facebook) by Raymond on Oct 23, 2020 are very powerful and poignant.

Raymond McGlamery 2/12/60 - 1/3/22

"You woke up this morning to your last day on earth, last day to be alive on this plane of existence, but you did not know it at the time. You were not prepared to say goodbye, as most aren’t, and your last hours would be spent doing what you would have done anyway. However, on this day, something tragic happened. Whether it was a catastrophic failure of your human body, a ticking bomb inside you that could not be disarmed, a tragic fall, accident, innocent bystander death or one of the myriad of other things that take lives daily, the bottom line is, you have breathed your last breath. But, you have a moment to reflect before the curtain is pulled.

In that moment, are you wishing you could have made one more post about your anger at something, or someone? Are you thinking about how you would have liked to tell one more person that they were wrong in their opinion and ‘unfriended’ them, even though you have known them and been friends for many years? Are you mad that you didn’t get to make your position known one last time on any current state of affairs?

Or are you longing for one more opportunity to see a friend or a loved one, perhaps even one that you ‘unfriended’ over a petty disagreement? Are you considering that maybe, just maybe, life has more meaning than what your opinions are, or what others think? Are you at all saddened that it might appear you left a legacy of anger in your online presence? Would you take it all back for another day to set things in better order and express love instead?

Every day is a gift we receive and an opportunity to be a gift to each other. I have had more than enough time this year to think about and consider my own passing and am grateful that’s as far as I got. I cherish my time on earth and hope to be around for a few more decades, but I am not afraid of death. I am very aware of the legacy I may leave behind, not in the way that I think I need to leave some grand message, but that my family knows how much I love them and my friends know how important they are to me and how grateful I am to have lived at all.

I have no anger in me, I have no grudges and I have eliminated all hateful thoughts from my heart and mind. It pains me to see the division that exists because in the end we all came into the world and will pass from it in the same manner. It is what we do while we are here and what kind of mark we leave behind that will define us after we are gone, even if that is to our immediate circle only. Our intention radiates out from us like ripples in a pond and the opportunity to change hearts and minds comes from kindness and setting an example for others.

Death meditation is a useful tool to help us confront our fear and also set us on a path to understanding. Some day we will not be here. What will we do until then? Avoid the last moments reflection, do it now. It will be much easier to find peace when you need to most. May you all find the peace that you need, today and every day."