On Living With the End In Mind
Glimpses of Love
Let me respectfully remind you
Life and death are of supreme importance.
Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost.
On this night the days of our lives are decreased by one.
Each of us must strive to awaken.
Awaken.
Take heed.
Do not squander your life.
~A traditional Gatha, a meditative verse chanted nightly in Zen temples~
The week behind us offered me two things. The second was a head cold that had me foggy-brained and made it difficult to keep my eyes open. The first was a funeral for the father of one of my oldest friends. In fact, this friend was my first love, and so I carry a world of memories about his father, the whole family, and the way that I once thought they might be a family I’d call my own. Funny how memories return with death. And lovely the way that old love sometimes gets carried within, miraculously adding to the life rings in our heart.
The head cold part of the week kept me from being able to write a new post. The death part of the week made me remember a post I knew I’d written several years ago. Like a nudge I couldn’t ignore, the post just happened to be written on this same weekend—the weekend of Valentine’s Day—four years ago. It felt timeless and was a reminder to me of something I needed to relive.
So much feels untenable in the world. So many reminders of life as I understand it dying off. In this, there are glimpses of love that should not be ignored. For the remainder of February, I want to offer these glimpses here. Should you wish to share your own in the comments, I’d love to know how you’re witnessing these days that essential humanness that shalt not be taken away.
In the meantime, let us bless all the love that helps shape us and makes it so hard to let go. Perhaps we’ll even find ourselves whispering into our loved ones, darling, I am here for you.
