TOUCHING THE GROUND OF OUR BEING

When I’m facing a serious challenge, I always feel a "touch." It's something like a weight on me, though it’s not heavy or depressing. It’s more of a nudge in a particular direction. It feels like I’m being pushed down – not to the ground, but toward the "ground of my Being".

That is where I find the help that I need; the well-spring of resources that is available and which I could not do without. I dip into the well and draw up…peace and quiet, calm and strength, courage, and faith which tells me all is well, in spite of what seems.

Usually we go skipping over the surface and don’t bother to stop and drink. Under ordinary circumstances, there doesn’t seem to be a need. But the more disruptive a challenge we face, the deeper we are forced to go. Put an issue of life and death in front of us and suddenly we become parched, and must go in search of water. It’s not up in the clouds, but at the ground of our Being that we find the stuff we’re made of.

I'm writing this today because I have a dear one who is struggling with a recurrence of cancer. Once again, I'm feeling the "touch." Its a comforting thing to experience.

The fact that there’s something to be gained from adversity, makes sense of otherwise cruel and seemingly senseless events. Death delivers us to ourselves, in a way that nothing else can.

COMING FULL CIRCLE

When I was a child, there was an idea I would repeat to myself from time to time, which struck terror in my heart. It was: “I won’t always be here.” When I found myself pondering that thought, I would be gripped by fear of death and the unknown.

It’s odd to think that now that I’m an adult, I have come full circle and use that phrase as a “touchstone” to remind myself of just how short - but also precious - life is. In my book, *Shining Moments: Finding Hope in Facing Death*, I have said that death is a teacher and a friend. What do I mean by that? I have learned that if we allow the awareness of our death to be our travelling companion (and I don’t mean our fear of it) then we can live each day as if it were the last one we had. Death reminds us to examine our lives, think about what is important, and restructure our priorities. When we do that, we may improve the quality of our relationships, fulfill our dreams, and be grateful for all we have.

No, I won’t always be here. So I’m going to try and live each day so that at the end of my life, I have no regrets.