Integration

Another clear and sunny morning, with temperatures in the mid-40's and a cloudless sky greets the day.  It is Monday, and a holiday for many working people who are give a day to rest and catch up on life's demands, beyond the job.

Over time, there are those who are a part of your life - they sometimes come and go, and other times, grow deep into your being.  It doesn't matter that their material or physical being remains.  Some of those people remain with you, long after their departure from this space/time.

A young medical student, whose name and goal used to make both of us laugh, "Wow, can you imagine going to Dr. Wacker for surgery?".  Or, another whose constant presence through personal crises and around to the place of healing, would deepen the relationship from professional acquaintance to sibling.  Or, the one whose path crossed with yours and left a deep regret and wake of friendship undone.  It all happens and it is a part of living.

The fascinating thing is how the laughter, the deepening, and the regrets get integrated into the person one is always becoming.  There is a blessing in attending to welcoming a new life at baby showers and remembering the life that has passed at memorials.  There is a prayer in all that we do to keep each encounter tucked away in our hearts.  And there is a wish that is ever-present in growing into the being that one was meant to be in this lifetime.

The fact of living means one just keeps going forward and in that going forward, there is a chance to reflect, adjust, and then engage with whatever, and whomever comes along in the trajectory of living.  It is funny how people can recognize the moments and beings that will change their lives.  And it is a treasure to come across those who can bring joy.  

At the start of this year, joy was where the focus of energy was going to go and that is exactly what days and encounters now tend to bring - even in the moments that are what many might call "sad.".  It's an irony that in those moments, somehow, something of a bit of light enters.

These are the things that come to mind on a day of reflection.  This holiday is one that is celebrated in hosting a space for just being, not one that is infused with greeting cards, trinckets, or special melodies.  This is just a day to remember in the now.  All that has been, all that will ever be, is in the present moment and we are given a chance to take this up on this day.  A blessing.