Dear friends,
In the last little while,
Fran and I have lost quite a number of people that we have known.
The number of deaths in quick succession has caused me to think a little more about life and death,
And that's the inspiration for this meditation.
But first,
Let us begin by bringing yourselves into a quiet space.
For this exercise,
You might like to close your eyes,
But only if that is comfortable for you.
Next,
Place your hand on your chest,
And notice the rising and falling of your chest as you breathe in and out.
With each out-breath,
See if you can bring yourself to a place of greater relaxation.
For these few moments,
Leave the concerns of the world outside your door.
Put to one side the regrets of yesterday and the fears of tomorrow,
And just enjoy your presence in the here and the now.
Let's give ourselves one minute to enjoy this time of relaxation.
Welcome back.
Looking back over the years,
I think I have always considered the death of someone to be an unequivocally sad event.
I don't mean to convey that the loss of someone is not an occasion for sadness.
There is,
After all,
An emptiness which we all feel when we lose someone we know and love.
But lately I have come finally to realise that a natural death is simply the price we all have to pay eventually for the fact that we have lived.
The impossibility of calculating the odds against you or I being here at all means that this life of ours is a gift of inestimable value,
And it calls us to do what we can to make the best use of it.
As we go about our daily routine,
We can forget what an amazing thing it is that the universe has given rise to us,
That the universe has produced you and me.
Not to mention the fact that the evolution of the universe itself has been a necessary part of this phenomenal gift.
You and I are the product of an unbroken series of coincidences stretching back beyond the beginning of time itself.
Maybe another one-minute pause is appropriate at this stage,
Just to reflect on the wonder of our being here,
A wonder that calls for an often-repeated thank you.
Welcome back.
The question then arises as to whether or not our death in due course is a price worth paying for this gift of life.
And when we stop to think about it,
We realise that of course it is.
Our departure from this life is not something that we would wish to bring about prematurely or through carelessness.
We are talking about death when it comes,
Uninvited,
In due course.
Just think about it.
We entered this world without any input on our part.
Without the payment of any fee,
We entered what can only be described as a paradise of life and possibility.
The only condition attached to this gift is the sad but true fact that at a certain point in time,
Our physical bodies will no longer be able to sustain us.
But if you had a choice between non-existence and our temporary existence,
What option would you accept?
If you have the ability to go online and listen to a meditation such as this,
You are among the luckiest people ever to have lived on the planet.
Not because you're here listening to me,
But because you had the good fortune to emerge in a time and place that allows for the possibility of a reasonable life.
So many people before us,
And so many people at the present time,
Do not enjoy the benefits that we enjoy.
And the question does arise as to the decision less fortunate people would make if they had to choose between coming into existence or remaining in oblivion.
Let us hope that no life is so awfully and irretrievably bad that never coming into existence would be the preferred option.
And this is where we,
The fortunate ones,
Have an extraordinary opportunity.
We who have the good fortune to be here in reasonable circumstances,
We have the opportunity to do what we can to make life meaningful and worthwhile for everyone around us.
We only have to look to the example of the inspirational people of this world to see what goodness we are capable of.
It's no exaggeration to say that we have the possibility of creating and recreating the world.
So an invitation to you and to me to remember that our lives came to us as a free gift.
As a result of a series of coincidences stretching back to the beginning of the universe itself,
You and I are here.
Let's think about this as we enjoy another one-minute pause.
You are here.
I am here.
We are amazingly here.
Welcome back.
This awareness of the gift of our being has the possibility of being transformational.
When we consider the wonder of our being,
All our trials and tribulations fall into a very small space.
What are any of our troubles when compared with the gift of life itself?
Yes,
Life is not as smooth as a playing field.
But neither is it as bland and uninteresting.
Life has its hills and valleys,
Its mountains to be climbed,
Its rivers to be crossed.
We see them every day.
May we each have the strength and the courage to face the challenges of this amazing journey with energy.
And may the awareness of this amazing gift of life act as an inspiration to us to change this world for the better.
Every single one of us is an architect in that sense.
And looking around,
We can see the amazing possibilities that we can create in thanksgiving for a gift beyond price.
