In Mourning We Cherish
Jun 10th, 2011 by padma
Today I heard a story, from my wife, from her friend, of a friend.
A baby, perhaps you could say toddler, at just 14 shining months, had sadly lost its life in an accident. It was something you’d never think would happen to you – a bite of a pretzel. Just a pretzel, yet it took a life full of hope, and sent it home before its time.
This story was especially hard hitting to our family because we have a 14 month old, and he’s so full of life and love that I cannot imagine life without him.
This was not someone from the news, but the child of a friend, of a friend. Three degrees of separation.
For this family, life will never be the same, and even though I don’t know them, I grieve for them.
I don’t say this to get you down, or to make you feel sorry for them. I say it to remind you that know matter where you are in your dharma journey, or what you know about life and the impermanence of it, that there’s one thing you can never do too much, which is to give.
Give your love, give your compassion, and give your things.
Tell those in your family, and at arms reach, that you love them and that they matter, because no matter how far we must travel alone, we still travel together, as each other.
When I think about a scratch on my new car, or a chip in my iPhone, or a bad month at work, I have nothing to complain about, because no matter how much I lose, there’s always someone, at this very minute, losing that which is most important to them.
Living the dharma is not just about spirituality or about learning to live stress free and present. It’s also about learning to live without.
Cherish every moment.
