I received the message this morning that another one of my college classmates had passed away--this is the third woman I know of from my class who died this year, and like the other two women who passed away, this woman was a truly good human being. When people your age pass away, it really wakes you up to what a gift life is and how fleeting our days, months, and years are. This is especially true as you get older and death becomes a more frequent occurrence with those your age or older.
I really don't like death--it's so sad, but it's a reality we all deal with from time to time. And, if we have to deal with it, I guess we should mine it for wisdom, inspiration, and important lessons. What does death teach us?
Death teaches us to live life with as much grace, love, and meaning as possible--death also teaches us not to sweat the small stuff and to be courageous when it matters. Who wants to go to their grave with regrets about not loving enough and spending too much time focused on issues that really don't matter or actions that harm or hurt others. Also who wants to go to their grave a coward who didn't speak up or act when it really mattered. Death instructs us to value life and live our best lives possible.
In light of this, I'll spend a little time today thinking about what matters most and what I can do to live a good life for myself and others. I don't look forward to the next time death knocks on the door of someone I love, and I'm certainly not ready for death myself--I have way too much life to live. Onward.
