Do we live as if we know we are going to die?

Sharon Salzberg: 'During difficult times we can learn to be present without feeling shattered.'

There is the story I want to tell you about is by Dr. Adler - it is the story of two men.

One man was a drunk, an alcoholic, he was dirty, and homeless. The other man had a successful career and family.

The homeless man stopped the business man one day and asked him for money. The rich man said, "Ill give you some money if you can tell me how you ended up like this."

The homeless man rolled his eyes and said, "If you knew my story and had lived my life, you'd have ended up like this too! My mother died when I was young. My father beat me. They came and took took all the kids away from him and put us in an orphanage. Then the orphanage burnt down and we all ran our separate ways. I haven't seen my brothers or sisters since."

The rich man said, "That is such a familiar story. Similar things happened to me when I was younger."

Well you can guess that the two men ended up figuring out they were brothers. One ended up successful, one ended homeless and bitter.

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How can two men with the exact same circumstances turn out so differently? Same thing happened to both, but both responded totally differently.

It's some thing to think about. It's about knowing you have the 'key' and being willing to work to use it.
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"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is ultimately to be at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be." ~ Abraham Maslow psychologist ~ "One can go back toward safety or forward toward growth."

Love,
Chatty

How You Live is what is important...

I received an email from my good friend and she told me a sad story about a young 30 year old wife and mother of 3 young boys all under 5 years of age - dying of stage 4 breast cancer. She was pregnant and they took her baby by 'C' section in late October because she was so sick. After she delivered him they learned of her cancer!

Now the woman was a great Christian and I know where she is - it's the family who is left behind that has the struggle - the learning - the bitterness - the pain - the grief - and finally the peace to go through. It's hard to be the ones left behind.

You may wonder like I do at times, what was God thinking. That I can't answer and have questioned my self. My girlfriend said they read a poem called:

He Maketh No Mistake

My Father's way may twist and turn
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I'm glad I know,
He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away.
But still I'll trust my Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way.

Tho night be dark and it may seem,
That day will never break,
I'll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.

There's so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight far too dim,
But come what may, I'll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift,
And plain it all He'll make,
Through all the way, tho dark to me,
He made not one mistake.

---Author unknown

Isn't that beautiful?

Please know that I share this as a tribute and a prayer for this young family. I pray that out of this tragedy some good will come out of it. Maybe the lesson for us today is - to live, love, and appreciate the now. Be there for others when they need a friend. . . To learn like the song says - How You Live Is What Is Important. Live and enjoy life now.

I was talking to my grandson who just learned that Santa wasn't real, about God. I remember in the movie A Walk To Remember - a Nicholas Sparks book, how the girl said, "God was like the wind, you can't see it, but you know it's there."

I think there are other things you can't see, but you know they exist. What about love? Can you think of any other things that you can't see that are real too?

Love Chatty
Prayers to the family who lost their wife and mother.