Few things grieve my heart more than hearing about a death. Not long ago close friends of mine lost a dear friend from high school. Members of a church family lost a husband and father. Another friend's hairdresser lost both her Grandmother and coworker within a week. My downstairs neighbors lost their five month old baby just two days ago.
The baby's death hit me the hardest. I went to visit him in the hospital last week - he was born premature and hadn't made it from the incubator yet. "He is a fighter" his parents told me while smiling at him. He was indeed. That baby was on oxygen, an IV bag that gave him nutrients, another bag that kept him from moving so that he would not lose energy, and another bag that contained morphine to keep him from feeling pain. He had just lost a finger overcoming a battle with a staph infection. Yet, he was still alive - still fighting. I was honestly shocked when my neighbor called me with the news of his death.
Death is hard - even with its commonality and link to life. None of us are promised another day, another hour, or another minute. And I pray that God will give us long life in order to accomplish all that we are called to do on this earth. So I am not trying to make this a sad moment, but a real one, a moment to assess. I am asking you though - take a moment and assess. What are things you would regret not doing in your life? Why haven't you done them? If the time to do these things are later in life, have you started preparing to make them happen? Are these things seemingly unreachable? What will make them reachable?
I am going through a phase right now where I am being forced to answer some of these questions. To be honest - the answers are more in reach that I thought...though they will take a leap of faith :), but they are all in reach. Quite possibly you will find that your answers are in reach - a closer reach than you previously thought as well.
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2 comments:
The death of a loved one is always an experience that makes me think deeply and intrinsically about my life (and what it means to me) and relationships--those I haven't talked to in awhile, those I am angry at for hurting me, those that I love. It forces me to confront emotions that have either been buried consciously or subconsciously. It evokes a questioning of my beliefs about family, God, the universe, and myself in relation to all these entities. This questioning is healthy as the answers provide a stronger understanding of my faith in the ultimate power. As a result, a healing can occur that allows me to accept my life/living as a gift left by those I've lost, even bearing the responsibility to carry on the torch of exuding life and love to others. I agree with Alicia-- 'I don't want to forget the present is a gift'. What else is life but an opportunity for our souls to physically experience the world, the love of God, and the love of others.
The death of a child is hard. One of my dear friend's aunt is dying from cancer. She has been given 3 weeks left to live, and is suffering greatly. I see the toll it is having on her family and on my friend. It's hard and I have no words, which is not a bad thing. Enjoyed reading your thoughts in the last 2 blogs. God bless!
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