The Circle of Life

Last week we went full circle, and I can't get it out of my mind. On Monday my husband I started out the day by attending a funeral. My uncle's mother (not on my side of the family) passed away peacefully in her sleep early Friday morning. We went mostly to support my aunt and uncle, who we have stayed relatively close to in spite of the 3 hours that we live apart from each other.

Funerals always make me reflective. What do I want my funeral to be like? What will people say? How full will the church be? What have or done or can I do that might in some way impact the people who are there? Will I really be remembered the way I think or hope I will be?

Even all those big questions aside, it makes me reevaluate again the little things that drive me crazy day-to-day that really don't matter. After attending the funeral, I got to go back to my daily life while three other adults had to move on grieving the death of their mother. Will I take the time to remember them? To at least send a card or an email and check in on them? Sadly, the answer for me is often no. I have great intentions that seem to get lost in the flurry of diapers and cleaning and putting together puzzles. I haven't even sent thank yous to great friends who brought me things back when I was on crutches. How sad is that.

Speaking of moving on after the funeral, my family then jumped in the van and headed 2 1/2 hours down the interstate to see our friends who had their baby at noon, while we were at the funeral. A beautiful baby boy, 5 lbs., 14 ounces. While I was holding that teeny tiny little guy I started thinking about the circle of life that we had witnessed in a matter of hours. We said goodbye and buried one in the morning, and said hello and welcomed one just a few hours later.

Again, I got to leave that place and go home to my day-to-day world. But my friend is now embarking on the journey of being a first-time mom. She will be experiencing the newness of sleepless nights, nursing a tiny baby, and the overwhelming emotion of caring for such a helpless little person. Will I get so caught up in my own little life that I forget to empathize and reach out? I certainly hope not.

We live in such an amazing world. The details of our existence continue to fill me with awe and wonder. It's days like last Monday that continue to remind me that life is not about if your house is clean enough for friends to enter, or whether or not dinner is on the table at the perfect time every day. My to-do list should be more about helping those in need and reaching out to others than what the paper is typically covered with.

How I can turn this all into action instead of just words, I'm not exactly sure. One day at a time, one moment at a time, I guess. I'm so blessed to be surrounded with people who will help me remember that this world is not all about me, and who will still love me when I act like it is.