september 12
September 12, 2013 § 2 Comments
Tragedy has a tendency to inspire passionate reaffirmations of consciousness. We honor loss with statements of gratitude and pledge to hold difficult remembrances alongside joy to keep ourselves accountable for the truth of tragedy. Anniversaries of loss are often haloed by memorials and gestures of shared grief, but what of the day after?
Public tragedy and personal heartache, calendar dates darkened by grief remind us to gather loved ones close, to speak kindly, forgive our neighbors, and extend a hand of friendship to a stranger. We shuffle our priorities to align with our ideals, then move slowly into the busyness of tomorrow our minds once again preoccupied by details that distort our commitments to one another and ourselves.
Yesterday I imagined husbands and wives, parents and children whose lives were orphaned by tragedy. I moved through my day cognizant that without warning we can wake to an experience empty of familiarity and the comfort of routine; my own good fortune measured in gifts of kindness as my husband and children, family and friends attempted to ward off the shadow of loss with a celebration of life. My birthday an intimate reminder of the blessing of time.
Today I woke mindful of the little things, details otherwise overlooked were swollen with sentiment. The smell of paint drying as my husband finishes up bookshelves for our daughter’s room, the cluttered countertops that signal a meal shared before starting our day, the sleepy conversations between home and school when side by side we have nowhere else to be but in between destinations together.
Perhaps to live consciously we have neither to trade mundane moments for extravagant exercises in living nor set aside our plans for tomorrow to dwell in remembrances. Maybe to honor yesterday we have only to be present in little moments that nurture our spirit and enrich the lives of those around us with small acts of love and kindness; today and tomorrow.
scribblechic 
I totally feel ya on this…. having lost one of my best friends from HS on 9/11 and being a 1st grade teacher and seeing what transpired at Sandy Hook ELM.
Well ….my youngest daughter who just got married shared this with me so I will pay it forward. One of the mothers who had lost her daughter, wrote a letter to all the teachers…. if I posted the whole thing you would be in tears for hours like I was.
She remembered sitting and contemplating life and its problems when her daughter seeing her in this mood asked her if “someone had sucked her fun circuits dry”. The mothers letter to the teachers and survivors of that day had this as her challenge at the end!!!!
So ‘Scribble’… keep your circuits charged 🙂
Have a great weekend.
This mother’s heartfelt letter is a wonderful example of moving forward with strength and love, embracing life in the face of overwhelming loss. Thank you so much for sharing.