The Power Of Now

Though this post seems off-topic - I think the message is an important one and pertains greatly to the work and goals of everyone on this site. I felt it important enough to share. Cross-posted from my site - enjoy.

Poppy Tom & Baby Zoe

The last month has been a challenging one to say the least... It's been full of births and deaths, and many ups and downs - thus - the roller coaster of "life."

When I lost my great grandma Grace a few years ago, it was a peaceful affair in the sense that she was 98 years old, had lived a full life and was very ready to die. That feels so different in comparison to losing people suddenly, or when they appeared to be healthy, or when they are only an infant or even when you just haven't gotten to enjoy them as much as you want to...

Case in point: I was in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago visiting my grandparents. My grandma who is only in her early 70's is beginning to slip into the later phases of Alzheimer's. What a wicked disease. There are still many glimpses into the woman she once was - the woman who rocked me to sleep when I was a child and had many adventures with me as an adult, but her memory and mind are slipping away right before our eyes. It breaks my heart...

After only being back home for a week, we got a phone call telling us that Tim's dad was in ICU so we jumped on a plane to Florida. Tom McCune is a strong-willed man whom I loved the moment we met. He is a lung cancer survivor, likes boats, wine and funny jokes - a man after my own heart! Tom underwent brain surgery this past month and had gotten just past the halfway mark of his radiation treatments when he suddenly contracted pneumonia, which with one lung is a dire situation. We are now on day 5 and things don't seem to be improving. Tim's parents have been married for over 40 years so I can't begin to imagine how that must feel, though I try. All I can do is be here for support and to offer whatever help is needed. I am silently praying that I will get to hear Zoe call him Poppy while he is holding her - time will tell.

Last night I found a quote that I added to the blog I created for Tom so that all of his friends could stay posted on his condition. It touched my soul and I've been in a contemplative state since I read it. It says:

"In spite of illness, in spite even of the archenemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways."

So what does this have to do with anything??? As I have been thinking so deeply of life and death and love and loss I remembered when I read Eckhart Tolle's "The Power Of Now," and how at the time when I read it and for a long while afterward, I consciously applied those lessons to my daily life. I savored each moment, every feeling, tasted my food, gave compliments freely, and remembered to express my love and gratitude openly and freely to all of those I love and to the people who touched my life in a special way.

I am in love with the Gandhi quote "Be the change you wish to see in the world" because I believe it is true and has merit. Our lives have the power to touch future generations as well as the people that come into contact with us in this life as well. Through our words, our work and our actions. It is for this simple reason that I write these words today, with the hope that you the reader will stop a moment to think, and cherish your life and those who share it. Just like the earth we all call home, everything has a cycle. Our time here is short - but there is still so much we can accomplish. Let it be today.

My good friend Kim who has been trying for years to have a baby just finally gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Mateya. Looking at a photo of her expression while holding her new daughter brings me peace.

To feel is to live. To live is to feel. Please remember the power of now...