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Little Blessings

Posted in Blessings, California, Family, Friends, Love and loss, Stealing words on 24 October 2010| 1 Comment »

“Enjoy life. This is not a dress rehearsal!” – Mark Timothy Allen

While saying goodbye to my uncle, he held me tight. Although he had just lost his husband (my uncle Mark), Jeff touched me by his words: “Since last Tuesday, I’ve been trying really hard to find the little blessings in life.”

I think that’s important. Sometimes, we get caught up in the pains – both small and large – in life. They’re probably more memorable. After all, how frequently do we overlook things like having dinner with a friend, hugging goodbye, or receiving an “I love you” from a loved one? Especially when they’re overshadowed by crummy bosses, viruses, and inadequate income. What if that was your last dinner, your last hug, your last “I love you”?

My uncle told us that one of his “little blessings” was having Keith and me out from Boston. And our little blessing was being able to be there for loved ones who were in pain. Before I was reminded of this blessing, it was overshadowed by loss, pain, and stress of travel. See? It’s easy for these blessings to be obscured.

So I dug deep and found some wonderful “little blessings” from the past week:

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In each new dawn

Posted in Family, Friends, Love and loss, Stealing words, The Future on 13 October 2010| Leave a Comment »

I give you this one thought to keep –
I am with you still – I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am the sweet uplifting rush,
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft starts that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone –
I am with you still in each new dawn.
-Adaptation from Mary Frye’s “Do not stand at my grave and weep”

Yesterday saw the loss of a beautiful and loving soul. A man I loved deeply. Did I tell you enough that I loved you? I hope so.

Emotional pain is a beautiful thing. That pain is evidence that you’ve allowed yourself to do one of the most important things in life: to love. I do wonder if the degree of pain is proportional to the amount of love. Because it hurts. Bad.

I want to thank my Uncle Mark for a few things. I don’t know whether I ever personally thanked him, but I hope he’s hearing my words now.

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