This Mother Wrote Her Own Obituary, and It's Perfect

“It pains me to admit it, but apparently I have passed away,” Emily Phillips wrote in her own obituary.

Phillips, 69, died of pancreatic cancer on March 25. Two weeks before she passed, she asked her family if she could read them what she’d written about her life. The obit, published in the Jacksonville Times-Union, is, quite simply, perfect. It’s heartfelt and humorous (Phillips apologizes for apparently humiliating her daughter by making her wear “no frills” jeans as a kid). In one passage, she states:

So… I was born; I blinked; and it was over. No buildings named after me; no monuments erected in my honor. But I DID have the chance to know and love each and every friend as well as all my family members. How much more blessed can a person be? So in the end, remember… do your best, follow your arrow and make something amazing out of your life. Oh, and never stop smiling.

I’ll leave you with this… please don’t cry because I’m gone; instead be happy that I was here. (Or maybe you can cry a little bit. After all, I have passed away). Today I am happy and I am dancing. Probably naked. Love you forever.

Bonnie Upright, Phillips’ daughter, told ABC News that it was a special moment to hear her mother “tell her life story in her words, in her way, in what were incredibly difficult circumstances.”

“As tragic and as sad as death is, her courage and her bravery in facing her death and in wanting to leave a mark her way is incredibly special to the family,” Upright said.

Read Phillips’ entire obituary here. It’s worth your time.