10/08/2026
I knew how quickly life could end. What I hadn’t figured out was how to truly live it.
Fourteen years ago, I walked away from nearly everything I had built. My career, my possessions, my familiar surroundings, and the security of a life I had spent years creating.
I wasn’t running from responsibility. I was searching for something far more important.
I was searching for myself.
After years of working as a mortician, standing beside families during some of the most heartbreaking moments imaginable, I understood just how fragile life was. I had witnessed the devastation of unexpected loss, listened to countless stories of lives well lived, and seen firsthand how quickly tomorrow could disappear.
Yet somewhere along the way, I realized I had become so consumed with the responsibilities of living that I had lost touch with the experience of being alive.
So, in 2012, I made a decision that would forever change me.
I sold almost everything I owned, kept my scuba equipment and a few clothes, and moved to the Caribbean.
No elaborate plan. No guarantees. Just a willingness to leave behind everything familiar and discover what life might teach me.
And it taught me more than I ever imagined.
I discovered that happiness doesn’t require wealth, possessions, or professional accomplishments. Some of life’s greatest riches are found in the simplest experiences.
The warmth of the sun. The beauty of the ocean. Conversations with strangers. The kindness of people from different walks of life. The freedom to explore, to be curious, and to appreciate the extraordinary gift of an ordinary day.
The less I owned, the richer my life became.
I learned that simplicity wasn’t about sacrifice. It was about freedom.
I learned that uncertainty didn’t always need to be feared. Sometimes it was the beginning of something extraordinary.
And I learned that letting go of the life we think we’re supposed to live can open the door to the life we were meant to experience.
Most importantly, I learned that understanding the fragility of life means very little if we don’t allow that understanding to change how we live.
Fourteen years later, those lessons remain among the most valuable of my life.
I’ve experienced other transitions since then. Some beautiful, others difficult. I’ve grown, made mistakes, experienced loss, discovered new purpose, and continued to evolve.
Eventually, my journey brought me back to funeral service, but I returned with a different perspective.
Today, as the owner of Legacy Funeral Home, I carry those experiences with me.
Every family I serve reminds me that behind every life is a story. A collection of experiences, relationships, dreams, sacrifices, adventures, and ordinary moments that ultimately become someone’s most treasured memories.
A meaningful legacy isn’t measured by what we leave behind in possessions. It’s measured by what we leave behind in the hearts of others.
That’s something I believe deeply, both personally and professionally.
Looking at this photograph from October 2012 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, I see a man who was lost in some ways, yet courageous enough to begin again.
I didn’t know where life would take me. I didn’t have all the answers.
But I had finally begun asking myself the right questions.
Was I truly happy? Was I living intentionally? Was I appreciating the people and experiences that mattered most? Or was I simply moving through life, assuming there would always be more time?
Those are questions I believe we should all ask ourselves occasionally.
Because the truth is, we spend so much of our lives waiting.
Waiting until retirement. Waiting until we’re financially secure. Waiting until circumstances are perfect. Waiting until someday.
But someday is a promise life has never made to any of us.
So take the trip. Make the memory. Tell someone you love them. Forgive when you can. Find joy in simple things. Have the courage to change direction when your heart tells you something is missing.
And never become so focused on making a living that you forget the importance of making a life.
I share this personal chapter because I want the families and community we serve at Legacy Funeral Home to know a little more about the person behind the profession.
My experiences have taught me that honoring life begins long before we are called upon to honor someone’s passing.
We don’t get to choose how much time we’re given. But we can choose what we do with the time we have.
And when our own story is finally told, I hope it speaks not merely of what we accomplished or accumulated, but of how deeply we loved, how courageously we lived, and how fully we embraced this extraordinary, fleeting gift called life.
Don’t just count the years. Make the years count.
— Jerry Hubbard
Owner, Legacy Funeral Home
October 3, 2012 | Playa del Carmen, Mexico
