What Matters

Sometimes, life must come to a complete stop. By “life,” I mean the treadmill of the everyday. The responsibilities we create for ourselves. The expectations that others have for us. The routine where we juggle all the balls as fast as we can.

Life, however, is so much more than that. It is the interconnectedness we have with each other, the mysteries of birth and death. When these two monumental events collide, as they did in my family this week, it’s a time to stop and just be there. Be present. Be available. Just be.

It’s also a time to remember we are not alone. The people we touch, the community we’re a part of, provide, unbidden, a safety net, an outpouring of love, to counter the grief and the pain. We often forget about these connections until they spring into action. And yet there they are, and I’m so grateful for their presence.

It’s times like this that strip away the everyday and distill life to what matters. Family. Friends. Love. Time. Time is a gift, and none of us know how much of it we have. Share that gift with others – the bonds between us are what matters.

1 Comment

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  Ellen June 21, 2011 at 10:20 pm

  Beautifully written!!! You and your family remain in my daily prayers.

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