What Life is About

On December 18, forty four year old Diana passed from this life into eternity in her sleep. She had worked in her classroom that day like so many others. Her mom shared some things she had said in the days leading up to that Friday. She may have been ready for the passage. But we weren't. The loss of Diana struck a heavy blow to my spirit. She had been my friend for the previous fifteen years. Her sparkling mind kept me sharp.

Three years ago she asked me what my advice to my 14 year old self would be.

Here's what I wrote to her in October 2012.

Advice for my 14 year old self:

·        Trust yourself. Listen for God’s still small voice. Follow the things that bring you peace – deep peace in your soul.

·        Enjoy what you have – even, and especially in terms of what you have physically. You only get one body, face, mind, spirit, personality. Take care of them. Love them. Use them well but do not abuse them. And expect that they will change through time. You will only realize what you should have been thankful for in some cases after it is gone. So when you are tempted to wish your nose were different, instead be thankful you don’t have wrinkles on your forehead yet. When you wonder if your face is pretty, be thankful that your joints work perfectly and do not ache. If you think your thighs are fat now, sister…. it could be worse. And likely sooner than you think. So appreciate the gifts of the present and be a good steward of everything God has given you.

·        Work is God’s gift to man. Choose your work wisely. Choose something that employs your greatest gifts and brings you the most joy. Once you have found your calling, keep it in its place. Work can be a joy, but it is not all there is to life. Ever.

·        The most important decisions happen in life when you have the least experience with life. Choose these with the greatest care, listening only to the truest intuition of your heart:  your spiritual compass, your life’s work, your life’s partner. If you know a choice is the right one, have courage and follow through with it.  If you pay the price to choose well when you are young, you will enjoy no regrets when you are old.

·        Life is a journey, a process. Do not neglect savoring the every day passage of time. One day it will be gone, fragile as a mist, a vapor. So make it beautiful and create something good. Show love and kindness to others. Love is what it’s all about.