Acceptance Brings Peace

Hey it's Friday and I realized I've been at peace for several days.  For the last 10 weeks I've struggled with that feeling.  Wondering if I would sense it again.  Being my age I knew eventually I would adjust to my new situation, but for a time I wandered down the path of grief which we all go down.  What's neat about that path is it leads to a beautiful flowered covered walkway, I like to call it acceptance.  I think you can step on that path whenever you want, but it's always our decision.   I'm not sure when it happened or why, but I'm glad I found it.  First I had to walk down that dark path called anger and then a brief trek up the hill of depression.

When you step on the path of peace your surroundings may not change.  The situations you encounter are usually still the same.  I'm still living in a new place with few relationships.  I still get lost.  There is no Dunkin Donuts here (coffee....) boy do I miss it.  I'm 2,000 miles away from my family.  So what happened?  I'm guessing it's trust.  Trusting that all things work together for good.  Believing that a hire power does have a plan.  Knowing that if I'm still and wait what needs to happen will.  For me, it's settling into my situation.

So I hope that whatever path you may be on today, whether it's loneliness, fear, anger, or sadness that soon you'll see the flowers and feel the peace.  I know it's right around the corner.

What I Learned At the Light House.

Over the weekend I attended my brother in laws memorial service.  He passed away on June 29th after a long battle with cancer.  Tom was a fire fighter for almost 25 years.  He asked that there be a party instead of a typical church service.  So the event was held at Ponce Inlet State Park, right on the beach. 

It was a beautiful day.  The sun was shining and the gentle breeze made a hot day tolerable.  There were about 60 people who came.  Most of them were fellow fire fighters who have worked with Tom over the years.  They brought food and beer and shared humorous stories about this quiet but very funny man.  He was only 49.

As I watched, listened and pondered I realized how fleeting life can be.  So much of what I hold important isn’t.  What I think matters doesn’t.  It’s not things but relationships that make this life successful.  It made me wonder how I affect people when I’m around.  Are they inspired?  Do they feel loved?  When they walk away are the hopeful?  Have I helped them?  Are they better for knowing me?  Seeing a life well lived that ended to quick makes you asked these questions, seek to make the changes needed, and hope the above questions receive good answers more often than not.  Thank you Tom for living a life that inspired me to dig deep.

            I decided to end this with a joke.  Tom would appreciate it:

A Catholic priest, a Protestant minister, and a rabbi are discussing what they would like people to say after they die and their bodies are being prepared for burial.
Priest: I would like someone to say, “He was a righteous man, an honest man, and very generous.”

Minister: I would like someone to say, “He was very kind and fair, and he was very good to his parishioners.”

Rabbi: I would want someone to say, “Look! He’s moving!”