What do you think?
I saw this in today's news and saw the Buddhist implication.
Sort the meaningful from meaningless, and focus on this
precious moment.
"Dear Abby: "I am a rabbi who was asked by a funeral director to
talk with a family dealing with the wife's terminal illness. When I
met Mindy, I was touched by her bravery and sensitivity in
confronting her disease. She shared that she and her family
were taking charge of the calendar and moving all the holidays
forward so they could squeeze in as many celebrations as
possible in the coming weeks.
Regardless of the actual date on the calendar, they were
celebrating secular and religious holidays, birthdays and
anniversaries. These events included decorating, serving the
appropriate food associated with the observance -- even
wearing costumes for Halloween.
On my last visit, Mindy described something else she had done.
She invited relatives who lived far away to be with her and gave
them quilts she had created over her lifetime. She remarked
that it made sense for her to be able to say her goodbyes rather
than miss that opportunity. She described it as a "living wake."
A few weeks later, she was gone.
For Mindy, condensing the holidays gave her the ability to control
her medical situation in a gracious and innovative way. Her choice
of saying goodbye to loved ones gave her -- and them -- time to heal
any rifts that had occurred. In dealing with her own impending death,
she bestowed a special gift to us for these upcoming holidays.
Let loved ones know today how important they are to you.
If there is a way of resolving a family disagreement, do it as soon
as possible. Life is too short for many of these disagreements.
Finally, appreciate and enjoy the time we have with family, relatives
and friends. It is truly irreplaceable. -- RABBI ALBERT SLOMOVITZ"
###
I saw this in today's news and saw the Buddhist implication.
Sort the meaningful from meaningless, and focus on this
precious moment.
"Dear Abby: "I am a rabbi who was asked by a funeral director to
talk with a family dealing with the wife's terminal illness. When I
met Mindy, I was touched by her bravery and sensitivity in
confronting her disease. She shared that she and her family
were taking charge of the calendar and moving all the holidays
forward so they could squeeze in as many celebrations as
possible in the coming weeks.
Regardless of the actual date on the calendar, they were
celebrating secular and religious holidays, birthdays and
anniversaries. These events included decorating, serving the
appropriate food associated with the observance -- even
wearing costumes for Halloween.
On my last visit, Mindy described something else she had done.
She invited relatives who lived far away to be with her and gave
them quilts she had created over her lifetime. She remarked
that it made sense for her to be able to say her goodbyes rather
than miss that opportunity. She described it as a "living wake."
A few weeks later, she was gone.
For Mindy, condensing the holidays gave her the ability to control
her medical situation in a gracious and innovative way. Her choice
of saying goodbye to loved ones gave her -- and them -- time to heal
any rifts that had occurred. In dealing with her own impending death,
she bestowed a special gift to us for these upcoming holidays.
Let loved ones know today how important they are to you.
If there is a way of resolving a family disagreement, do it as soon
as possible. Life is too short for many of these disagreements.
Finally, appreciate and enjoy the time we have with family, relatives
and friends. It is truly irreplaceable. -- RABBI ALBERT SLOMOVITZ"
###
posted in
Tibetan Buddhism
- 8 replies