life, love, loss

A lot of things are inherent in life -change, birth, death, aging, illness, accidents, calamities, and losses of all kinds- but these events don't have to be the cause of ongoing suffering. 

Yes, these events cause grief and sadness, but grief and sadness pass, like everything else, and are replaced with other experiences. 

The ego, however, clings to negative thoughts and feelings and, as a result, magnifies, intensifies, and sustains those emotions while the ego overlooks the subtle feelings of joy, gratitude, excitement, adventure, love, and peace that come from Essence.

 If we dwelt on these positive states as much as we generally dwell on our negative thoughts and painful emotions, our lives would be transformed.

Having attended a celebration of a dear friends life this past weekend, I have thought on this in the bigger picture. Everything happens for a reason. We go through life wondering what if, but what if, we change how we view the world we live in. 

What if, we take those thoughts and feelings that are harmful when we dwell, and look for the positive in them. A wonderful group of people came together for this celebration, and the overall feeling in the room was one of love. Appreciation for what we had, what we still have, and what we can have. 

Take that ego, and make the best out of a situation, what we were given was a beautiful memory of someone who touched so many people, in good ways. It brought us together in an event that most of us would not have been together. 

Here's to life, love, loss, growth and all else that make us who we are. Better people for having known a young man, who touched so many, in so many different ways,  even for a short time. 


R.I.P Jimmy Beasley