Tuesday, September 22, 2009

sometimes only in darkness, one can see light

today a dear friend of mine told me that a dear friend of his (and an acquaintance of mine) was dying. she is in her mid thirties suffering from a rare form of cancer and is in home hospice care. he asked me to pray for her and it made me realize i wasn't sure how. in a world full of war, bad economies, unemployment and general unfairness, it is so much easier to pray for miracles, hugs and winning the lottery. but when it comes to real life and real people, everything changes. it becomes a genuine desire, a real gift you want the person to have and in this situation, what can you truly give?

i spent a long time trying to come up with the best thoughts to give her. and so i prayed that leigh has comfort, that she has peace and that she is surrounded by love.

in a way it got me thinking that these were such small, almost daily instances that happen in our lives everyday. we live in the comfort of our homes, we surround ourselves with people that we love and care about and conduct ourselves in ways with certain ritual that bring us peace. it reminds me not to take it for granted - that these were the few gifts that i would want leigh, her family, her friends - anyone, really - to have when they need it most. gratitude in its truest form, in the small things that surround us in daily life.

Friday, September 11, 2009

remembering

today of all days i am so ever grateful. for the finest and bravest that serve us every day, thank you. to my neighbors who embodied community and found strength in sadness, i will never forgot you. it is strange that in life, sometimes you need to experience the greatest loss - on any scale. big or small - in order to understand love and how precious life and the people and memories we keep in our lives really are. i will always love my beautiful city of new york. i will always remember.