"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Famous for teaching the world the power of words, the wisdom of this Maya Angelou quote has long stayed with me.
When I was recently asked to write a eulogy for a family friend who had passed away, I took inspiration from one of Angelou's most famous musings.
Faced with the difficult task of condensing Eric's life into just a few minutes, I decided to focus on how he made people feel throughout his life.
As a bit of a character, it was usually sore from laughing.
He loved to laugh and, more importantly, he loved to make others laugh.
One story that I remember fondly involved him turning up to a first date dressed like 'The Man from Del Monte'.
Unbeknown to him, the date wouldn't quite go to plan as his car broke down on a hill in the middle of Glasgow city centre on the way to dinner.
Determined that the date would still go ahead, Eric rolled up his sleeves and got under the bonnet adamant that all was not lost.
Although the funeral was a very sad occasion, I looked around and tears of laughter flowed as the congregation listened to just some of the comical stories involving Eric.
As a celebration of a life well-lived, a well-written eulogy can help to bind together friends and family during their greatest time of need.
