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.

THE GREAT TEACHER

When I was twenty-one years old, during a routine teacher’s exam, the doctor found a lump in my throat, which turned out to be thyroid cancer. I was completely cured, and never had a recurrence (thank goodness) but that illness set the course for my life. At a young age it forced me to contemplate issues of life and death and I began a path of discovery, which continues even today. A very important instrument of healing for me was Dr. Bernie Siegel’s book, Love, Medicine and Miracles. When I wrote Shining Moments, I contacted him and he graciously agreed to write a testimonial. In the course of our correspondence, he sent me a wonderful poem which I want to share with you today.

THE GREAT TEACHER BY BERNIE SIEGEL, MD
Death what a great teacher you are
Yet few of us elect to take your class
And learn about life
That is the essence of death’s teaching
Death is not an elective
We must all take the class
The wise students audit the class in their early years
And find enlightenment
They are prepared when graduation day comes
It is your commencement

I have learned that death is a teacher and a friend. I will share more about that in future postings.