Attending the funeral of a friends mom today, reminded me of how precious time/life really is. (My thoughts are with the Klotz family.) As the pastor spoke of Donna, he shared a poem called the dash. The Dash was the time between birth and death... often signified by a dash. 1928-2011. What does "The Dash" really represent? It's just a small symbol that really represents a life time. As I read about her life in the memorial folder... I wondered what mine would say. It made me stop and think.
What do I want it to say. If I am not happy with what it would say now, I still have the opportunity to work on it. Something I personally would like to do more of is service. I tend to focus on my needs. I am going to set of goal of specifically providing service twice a month. My hope is to do it once a week. (I want to set an attainable goal and work up) So now I have to define what service is. To me, Service is helping someone in need.... either asked or unasked. I also think that most women tend to do lots of service... for our families... We do laundry, cook, clean, assist with homework, shop, and just generally keep things running. (And some woman manage to do all that and work too... you know who you are... and you are amazing).
I am looking to do more than that. Maybe do something that is unexpected. Like bake cookies and share with neighbors. I may also try to do something that is totally anonymous too. That might be fun to try. I think sometimes I get so busy, that I don't even see that someone else needs something. Maybe, I just need to take more time... I think that I may even be able to do something everyday... if I just open my eyes.
Over the summer, a friend shared a book with me.... it's called... 29 Gifts... how a month of giving saved my life.... by Cami Walker. This young woman has ms. She was in a world of hurt. She couldn't sleep, everything hurt, always needed help, dependent, meds for this and meds for that... and she was very self involved. She was always seeking treatments... and alternative treatments as well. One of Mbali encouraged her to give a "gift" to someone for 29 days. By a "gift", I mean that she gave someone something... not necessarily something bought at a store... and sometimes it wasn't something physical.
Of course this self absorbed woman (and who wouldn't be with a severe illness) was almost outraged... I can barely get myself out of bed each day and Mbali wants me to give a gift each day for 29 days. Craziness... but Mbali assures her, that is exactly what you need to do. And Cami, finally realizes that she has nothing to lose... so why not. She follows the "prescription" ... and finds herself gradually focusing more on others and less on herself. She is amazed that as she starts giving, that she starts to feel better. It's a great story that has inspired me to remember to focus on others. http://29giftsbook.com/ Check it out if you feel so inspired.
Thanks to my friend Deborah for letting me read it... Deborah has been a really good friend... she always has a special sparkle about her. She looks for the good and people and pushes through the brick walls. She is an inspiration to me.
I spent a couple of hours on the phone with my daughter tonight and I loved every minute of it. We talked about a lot of things, but the main focus was on getting prepared for her "Reiki" night. It was particularly enjoyable because she is like a sponge... her mind is just whirring with ideas and excitement.
I have truly been blessed ...
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