“Shaken, not stirred.” This was the proclaimed preference for how he liked his martinis. Sean Connery, Scottish actor was the first and, I think, my favorite film actor to play super spy, James Bond. He was oh so macho, which I would normally find a turnoff, but I couldn’t help but think of him as a wonderfully sexy beast. He will be missed.

John Lewis. He walked the walk. So rare in politics, he quietly encouraged others to stand for the dignity of all. He was spiritual and practical. He spoke directly to our souls without sounding falsely preachy, always making an example of his own life. He will be missed.

Kobe Bryant and Chadwick Boseman were always pursuing excellence at their crafts. They clearly were interested in incorporating what they learned professionally into their personal growth. I think they always wanted to become better people. They will be missed.

And RBG…I can’t say enough about how Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been an inspiration to me. More than as a champion of equality under the law, I’ve been touched by how she always took the long view of things, how she understood progress as a stream of small victories that take us in the right direction. She will be missed.

It’s the time of the year when we think about incredible human beings whose earthly journey is over.

Many names and bios of cultural icons, like in any year, get rolled into news segments when their passing is announced. Some of their work gets special play. (It seems that Chadwick Boseman’s movies, “42” and “Black Panther,” ran non-stop during the first week of September.)

But this year, the act of memorializing human treasures who lost their lives is different.

I don’t want to diminish the contributions of so many who found a way to share their special talents, but it’s been hard to grieve particular individuals in the context of so much death.

It’s sobering to think about losing:

• John Prine, singer/songwriter, who so perfectly captured the struggles of everyday working people in songs;
• Kirk Douglas, film actor, who used some of his star power to help break up blacklisting of industry talent that became victim to conspiracy theories of the day (1940s and 50s).
• Mary Higgins Clark, author, who knew how to tell a story that got people to turn the pages.
• Carl Reiner, comedic writer & director, who had an uncanny sense for how to make people laugh.

But it’s been hard to consider individual losses when death is everywhere, when the world is continuing to do battle with the Coronavirus.

As of Christmas 2020, about 340,000 lives have been lost in the US due to COVID-19 (over 1.7 million globally).

I might get a little numb, or want to get numb, to this, but I can’t. Remembrance is part of what I am drawn to do as a human being. I don’t think of myself as a sentimental sort, but I am continually moved by the courage and resilience of people; by their generosity of spirit.

I wrote about this some weeks ago, but I regularly watch Nicole Wallace’s segment on MSNBC, “Lives Well-lived.”  They show snapshots and talk about someone who died from COVID-19. Sometimes, these simple stories move me to tears.

Just recently, I heard about the death of a fairly young woman who rescued abandoned animals, about a healthcare worker who helped others recover before losing her own life, and about loving partners dying within weeks of each other.

I try not to succumb to survivor’s guilt. I believe the secret to this is to acknowledge that their lives mattered.

I think about the best qualities of these people; about their unselfishness, determination, humor, devotion, curiosity, and faith, about their hopes and dreams, their empathy.

I send out prayers to them and their loved ones, whether or not I remember their names.

I tell their spirits I’ve been changed by their lives, that in knowing even just a little bit about their best, they will live on.

I hope that this pandemic will loosen its grip on our lives in 2021 and that the best of these individuals  who lost their lives this year will not be forgotten.

Knowing what you want to take with you into the coming year and what you want to leave behind is no small thing.