Life as Journey

Life as Journey - Post Image - Mina's Letters

Loss of a loved one always brings with it a journey.  Sometimes several journeys result from the loss, and either way you find yourself in the midst of process.  A couple weeks ago, I traveled with my family to Montana to grieve the loss of an adopted brother.  My husband was one of the speakers at the memorial, and he talked about the four lessons he learned from our brother.  The last of these was about the final lesson which is the brevity of life.  We never know when our time to leave this realm will come, and so we need to remember say what is on our mind, live the life we want, and be who we are called to be each day.

Our brother did that.  He never held back, he was always present in our lives even when we didn’t know it, and he gave from the heart.  I was struck by the fact that all of life is process, and the product of our lives is never reached until we pass on to the next realm.  For our brother, the product of his life is amazing.  He touched so many lives, shared so many emotional and material things, and never stopped being himself.  The journey itself was profound.  His life spoke of  connections to people and values.

I hope that when I pass on to the next realm and people reflect on my process of living, they will see a product that reflects who I am.  Now the job is to live the process.  Treat each interaction with integrity.  Remember to tell people I love them, care about them, and treasure who they are each day.  Express gratitude at every turn.  Knowing that the product of life isn’t the promotion at  work or the new car or the perfect house but rather the end result, we can let go of the distractions and hang on to the real essence of life which is working the process just like writing.