Every Day And Every Moment Matters

Over the past few months, I have been the benefactor of a couple of very unique learning experiences. And these lessons have been very enlightening as I have been searching the universe for answers, understanding, and insight. But it took me some time to realize that many of my questions were being answered even though I did not yet understand the answer or even realize that the answer had been presented.

I am famous for asking why… It began when I was a small child, and I never outgrew it. My parents sometimes looked at it as being defiant, but I think it was more a quest for an orderly mental filing system that I call understanding. So lately my why is this or that happening questions began to consume my thought. And I was becoming more and more frustrated at the lack of a nice, simple, and neat answer. But I have now come to grasp the fact that my questions were irrelevant.

In recent months I have been very fortunate to come across two very amazing individuals at a time that was clearly their swan song. I met Sue, an amazingly strong and vibrant cancer survivor, at her book signing. She was clearly battling for each day of her future, but she was not giving up, giving in, or allowing herself to be saddened by her inevitably short future. She was thankful for each moment and the people who shared those moments.

We never met after that first brief interaction, but we emailed from time to time as I read her book, and we discussed the story. It was amazing to learn that she completed her novel during her chemo treatment. Her thoughts and her work were and are a great source of inspiration for me and for many more I’m sure. But our budding friendship was cut short, as her journey here was rapidly reaching its end.

The second gift that I received was from an elderly gentleman whom I never met or even spoke to. I simply learned about him from a friend. He was also facing the end of his battle, but doing so with amazing grace and dignity. He had spent his entire adult life helping and healing others after witnessing some of the worst moments in the history of humanity.

He fled his homeland of Latvia in 1944 when the Russians invaded, but he never gave up or became bitter about what was taken away from him. He simply chose to focus on the potential and opportunities that he earned in his new country. He even inspired a nephew to follow the same path and become a doctor. Hearing of this man’s hardships and the tenacity which he found deep inside himself inspired me. Sadly, my lesson was short, as he passed just weeks later.

These two encounters were very different but also very closely related. They were clearly reminders for me, even illustrations, of what is truly important. I was distracted by tiny details and was not appreciating or understanding that it is every moment that we are given that we must treasure. We are provided with these hours, days, and weeks to learn and to make a difference. And even in our waning days, we have so much to share with others.

Life is a journey, and each second that we invest should be exchanged for something good, useful, and meaningful. Each hour that passes should be cashed in for memories of love, happiness, and gratitude. When this happens, everything else will fall into its respective place. And we will reach those final steps of our journey with nothing but satisfaction, appreciation, and peace in our hearts.