Life's Fundamentals

Few things bring life's fundamentals into perspective the way a serious illness can.  Suddenly, life and death come roaring into consciousness from their relegated corner amidst the routines and tasks of daily living.  Such an event not only impacts the person with the illness, but the entire family and community of friends. 

Mortality's presence sounds its bell, and the tone we hear can have a profound impact on how we choose to respond.  Do we hear a death knell, or the infinite chimes of what is possible?  Choosing possibility in the face of such an event does not equate to being a Pollyanna.  The reality of what one faces is sobering.

Yet the perspective we choose, and the intentions we employ, can assist us in navigating such treachourous terrain.  Holding the tension of the opposites of life and death allows us to connect to the core reality that is often obscured in our everyday distractions - the reality of love.  It is through love that you can activate the will to heal in another person. When we want someone to stay with us in life, this has a profound healing effect on the soul as well as the body.

Quantitative research has demonstrated the power of prayer in response to illness or trauma.  Those who have utilized prayer personally, or who have had others pray or meditate for them, have healed in ways that others have not.  When love forms concrete actions in the world, those beads of positive response can create a healing field that surrounds all dealing with a profound health challenge.

When life's events bring us to our knees, it may be an instinctive sign to stay there, in humility, and allow something beyond ourselves to move us into new life.