Dear friends,
Life is a one-way ticket so let us try to make the journey pleasant for ourselves and for the people we come across along the way.
We mysteriously come into this world alone.
In time each of us will make the equally mysterious journey out of it,
Again each of us on our own.
It is our wish that we would be surrounded by family and loving friends as the end of the trip is undertaken.
This is a reminder to us that we are essentially social beings rather than solitary individuals.
There are times in life when it's beneficial to withdraw within or to get away from it all.
We need to find that much-needed space for reflection and without that space our lives will be lived in an unthought-out treadmill of activity.
In that situation we see one action following the other in mindless succession.
So periods of quiet are opportunities for renewal.
They give us a chance to reflect on how we can better play our part insofar as we can work it out in the drama of life.
Our lives are a succession of small events.
Hardly any of these events are individually significant but together they offer us the possibility of looking back at the end to a life well lived.
Now few of us will be offered the challenge of undertaking a moment of greatness.
We are hardly likely to have the opportunity to save a drowning child,
Hardly likely to have the opportunity to rescue someone from a fire.
Our challenge is to be faithful in the small everyday kindness of our life.
To be faithful in the small everyday kindnesses.
These are carried out day after day.
And it's in these everyday kindnesses that we'll be better able to judge the worth of our contribution to the sum total of human happiness.
When we look back at our relationship with someone dear to us,
Someone who has passed away,
We are more likely to remember the small things,
The little events,
The little deeds,
The sayings,
The greetings,
The loving moments shared rather than the big events.
Those big events,
Exotic holidays,
Lotto winnings,
All these things mean very little.
The things I mostly remember about people are their encouraging words,
Their ability to make me laugh,
The value of their gifts means little or nothing compared with the gift of their being present and the love they have shown.
So remember,
This life can be good for everyone,
But it can also be bad for people compared to a train journey,
People getting on and off at stops along the way.
People sitting beside us,
Sharing our courage,
Holding conversation.
And then one day,
Suddenly,
Unexpectedly,
Since we're also engrossed in conversation,
The person's destination station is called.
Sometimes the departure is so urgent that we don't even have time to say goodbye.
So as the journey proceeds,
May you be blessed.
May the passengers in your carriage enjoy your company and you theirs.
In little ways,
Make sure the people around you know that you care for them.
Look down when you need to in case you trip.
But mostly look up.
This is a one-way journey.
Enjoy the view,
Appreciate the company.
Namaste.
