Life has a way of bringing us back to reality and what is important. It is so easy to get caught up in plans of grandeur and secondary significance that we ignore or miss what is in front of us. Others have stressed living in the present, living in the "now." To say the obvious, so obvious I for one have to be reminded, the past is over; there's nothing I can do about yesterday. I need to let go and center in the present. That doesn't mean I forget, that I don't honor those and what have gone before me. There is great necessity in learning from the past and not repeating its mistakes. Santayana was insightful. Obvious, again, I do not control the future. I can plan and hope and yearn, but ultimately I do not control. If you want to give God a laugh, tell her your plans. Thank you, Neibuhr, for the Serenity Prayer. Goodness how I need that wisdom!
Since last I sat and stared at this screen, so much has happened. "Life" has demanded attention.
Friends have continued to struggle mightily with life-threatening illnesses. Baby showers have announced the anticipated arrival of new life. Childhood playmates have lost mortal combat for life and love, and they did it with great dignity. Other "family" have announced their affirmation of love and optimism by setting a wedding date. The cycle continues; samsara; moksha.
Grass needs cutting. Invitations need answering. Doctor appointments need to be kept. Journeys need to begin and end. Classes need to be taught, mothers remembered, graduations celebrated. The present really is a gift and not to be taken for granted. Through it all, hope and love sustain us and make it all worth the effort.
