Last week, my family encountered the highs and lows of life’s circle as we experienced the sadness of death and the joy of birth. One day we honoured and remembered the life of my husband’s brother-in-law; two days later we welcomed a new baby boy as my niece delivered the newest member of our family. It is bittersweet how one life ended as another began. It brought an awareness that no matter what happens, life goes on, events overlap and the world is continuously unfolding. Somehow it seemed right that one life replaced the other, and that a life well-lived to the fullest was interchanged with a new life about to start on its journey. The heartache of the funeral blended almost seamlessly into the thrill of a new life. It is surreal that two people so important in our lives missed sharing this world by two days.
Standing by the coffin to say our final good-byes to someone who has been a part of my life for almost as long as I have known my husband, I thought about the life he had led. The hours spent at the hospital by his family spoke to the love his wife, children, grandchildren and extended family had for him. They ensured the memorial service was exactly how he would have wanted it. As I watched the slideshow presentation made up of pictures his relatives had gathered together, it was obvious that he had lived a full life and enjoyed being with his family – his children, his grand-children, his brothers and sisters and his in-laws. And in the end, it was that love which he took with him and which he left behind at the same time.
Mere days after purchasing flowers for the funeral, I was buying clothes and other items for our new baby. As this precious bundle was showered with presents to welcome him, I realized that the best gift we give him is the love of his family to give him the strength and confidence he will need as he grows up and takes his place in the world. Our love is unconditional and will, hopefully, set the pattern for his life. I trust that each step he takes in life’s voyage will be softened and made easier by the devotion and love of those around him. In the beginning and at the end of life, love is the one thing we have and can hold on to. It is also the one thing we leave behind which everyone can share.
As I learned this week, it is not quite true that we enter this world with nothing and we leave it with nothing. If we are very fortunate, we have the love of family and friends and we feel cherished from the time we are born until the day we die.
Standing by the coffin to say our final good-byes to someone who has been a part of my life for almost as long as I have known my husband, I thought about the life he had led. The hours spent at the hospital by his family spoke to the love his wife, children, grandchildren and extended family had for him. They ensured the memorial service was exactly how he would have wanted it. As I watched the slideshow presentation made up of pictures his relatives had gathered together, it was obvious that he had lived a full life and enjoyed being with his family – his children, his grand-children, his brothers and sisters and his in-laws. And in the end, it was that love which he took with him and which he left behind at the same time.
Mere days after purchasing flowers for the funeral, I was buying clothes and other items for our new baby. As this precious bundle was showered with presents to welcome him, I realized that the best gift we give him is the love of his family to give him the strength and confidence he will need as he grows up and takes his place in the world. Our love is unconditional and will, hopefully, set the pattern for his life. I trust that each step he takes in life’s voyage will be softened and made easier by the devotion and love of those around him. In the beginning and at the end of life, love is the one thing we have and can hold on to. It is also the one thing we leave behind which everyone can share.
As I learned this week, it is not quite true that we enter this world with nothing and we leave it with nothing. If we are very fortunate, we have the love of family and friends and we feel cherished from the time we are born until the day we die.
Loving and being loved . . . it's a good thing!
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