It might sound odd to say that 2019 began for me with an epiphany thanks to a complete stranger, but that is most certainly the case. And this lesson caused me to stop and carry my thoughts further than I ever had in the past. It was truly a revelation of epic proportion that I am still struggling to completely understand and appreciate to its fullest meaning and impact.
I have always believed in one manner or another that we each have a purpose in this world and that we are meant to make this journey with not a single purpose but with many. We meet our own earthly needs for food and shelter as well as seeking to satisfy the deeper desires of the heart and soul. We as humans are not solitary creatures, and because of that we yearn for that perfect mate; that one person who protects our vulnerabilities and enhances our strength. And all the while, this person provides the love and companionship that allows our heart to thrive and our mind to grow. When blessed with this soulmate, the independent journeys of two seem to intertwine and take on the form of a single journey, but with purposes and goals for each to achieve independently while others must be attained as a team.
My image of this journey carried these partners to the ends of their earth, this earth, and beyond. I pictured the challenges along the journey, the victories and lessons to be learned and knowledge to be gained for future use along the way. I also envisioned the opportunity to share lessons, gifts, and experiences with others which might, in some small way, assist them in their travels. But I never took that next mental step. I believed that when we reach the end of our journey here, it was almost as if a light switch turned off. We moved on, and we no longer had a purpose or responsibility here on earth.
But that all changed when I heard the story of a total stranger, but a lady whom I am sure would have become a very special person in my life had I been afforded the opportunity to meet her. Instead, I have been blessed to know her daughter, and by extension this incredible lady. I know from other stories and conversations that this mother and daughter had a very loving and caring relationship. And I know from my own experience that this mother is missed each and every day that her daughter carries on without her. But there is great comfort found in the relationship that they shared. And this relationship was represented by a pair of gloves that Mother had worn for years and then passed on to her daughter. Wearing the gloves felt like her Mother was “holding her hand” again.
The story clearly struck a chord deep in my heart, as I have a shirt of my Dad’s which provides me with much the same comfort. The shirt is now tattered and worn, and I am sure that someday I will be forced to part with it. But what I came to understand through both of these stories is that the ones we love are carried with us in our hearts forever. We might use a glove or a shirt to remind our conscious mind to slow down and feel the love of that special person, but the heart and the soul always know and feel that love, even without a tangible reminder.
And here is where my huge leap occurred…
Our journey might traverse the globe, or it could keep us tethered to a small town in the Mid-West for our entire life cycle. But our purpose continues even long after we have moved beyond this phase of our existence. It took a glove and a lady that I never met to provide me with the clarity to see beyond what I had ever envisioned. Oddly, even my experience with my own Dad and the impact that he still has on me and my family did not open my eyes to this forever purpose.
But Mrs. Harman was able to show me this amazing opportunity and responsibility which lies within each of us. Our acts and our achievements to contribute and to make this world a better place will live far beyond the lifetime of our physical bodies. We each hold the potential to change and improve what will be the world’s forever and not just the short stint that is our own forever.