Hiding in a stack of books near my desk was a book of quotes I received in a gift exchange at NCTE from Stacey Shubitz. Thanks, Stacey for inspiration to write.
The quote above reminds me of a similar quote,“If you love something set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. If not, it was never meant to be.”
As each day goes by, I learn more about happiness. Today, I visited a close friend who has terminal cancer. I wasn’t sure what I would see when I walked into her home. But everything was as it had been. She is surrounded by things that please her, drift wood, wind chimes, flowers. She is surrounded by people she loves. She wakes up each new day in gratitude.
I don’t think we should require a diagnosis to learn to live in happiness and gratitude. The most important things in life are not things. They are love, kindness, empathy, joy. These things are not things you can hold in your hand, so you must release them to find them. You must give love to find love.
Kindness for kindness.
Empathy for empathy.
Joy for Joy.
And when you give all of these “things” away, what you have is happiness.
When we hug someone we love, we never have any guarantees that we will be with them again. We hear it over and over. Live for today. Make every moment count. But when it all comes down to it, what choice do we have?
I released my friend. We hugged. We smiled. We said “I love you.” I promised to come see her again. But for today, I’ve released her. She was never mine anyway.
And she is blessed and lucky to have you as a friend, Margaret. Releasing does take an incredible amount of courage, which we often struggle to muster up. Sending you a big snow-covered hug today.
Aw thanks. I am sorry you are so snow covered. We are having a gorgeous spring here.
Glad you found inspiration from the book, Margaret.
Yes. I had forgotten about it and it was like a gift all over again. Thanks.
These words are so lovely, and oh, so true. I especially liked, “I released my friend.” I have two friends going through cancer treatments now. I want to hold so tightly to them. This puts things into perspective for me. You have inspired courage . Thank you so much.
When I see what my friends are enduring, I see nothing but courage. It does put everything in perspective.
This is so beautiful, Margaret. Thank you for sharing these wise words with us today. Hugs to you and your friend.
As a recent cancer survivor, I really appreciated your post today. You have shared your wisdom regarding how to approach someone who is struggling with mortality and it is very good advice. I copied the Hawthorne quite because they are the words I try to live by. I have lived them through my own children: letting them go has brought them back to me, time and again, and I am the richer for it.
Lovely, lovely post.
I first thought of my children when I read the quote. I’m glad to know you are a survivor. My friend thought she was, too, but it’s back with a vengeance. I have learned that even though I don’t know what to say, I should be present. So often when we are afraid, we back away. I want to embrace whatever time we have. Thanks for your comment.
Beautiful, thank you Margaret. Your quote reminds me of a favorite by Jack Kornfeld:
“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go”.
That’s another great quote that reminds us of what is really important.
All the feels! I love this post- thank you for sharing 🙂 ALso love the idea of writing to a quote
When I first found the quote I wasn’t sure which direction my writing would take. This was writing for discovery. Thanks for coming by.
Love the idea of kindness karma…give kindness, get kindness…usually tenfold. Wonderful thought…wondering what you would find when visiting but as you discovered…”everything was as it had been.” So make has changed for your friend and for you, but at the same time so much is the same. Good that she has friends like you who love her.
There is so many unknowns when you enter someone’s life after this kind of news. I found comfort in the sameness. She is still the same. She is still my friend.
This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing your story. “I don’t think we should require a diagnosis to live in happiness and gratitude,” so true, and so powerful. Your friend is very lucky to have your love and support and kindness/empathy surrounding her during this challenging time.
My friends with cancer are teaching me how to live more fully. Thanks for coming by.
You’re right, we should not need a diagnosis to learn to live with gratitude and joy. It’s just so sad that for some of us it takes situations like this to remind us of this. A touching slice, Margaret. ❤️