There is so much that I don’t understand about life and yet, I am aware that I perceive more than most. It doesn’t make me better by any stretch of the imagination, perhaps simply more present.

I think near death changes things, and without a doubt death and loss do as well—profoundly. If you allow it to mold you, it shapes you into something that feels eternal, rather than tentative and seeking. The delicate glance, or subtle touch. The tender moment when your child has fallen asleep for the night and they’re lain just so. The secret banter between you and those closest to you, the things anyone else would glaze over, move past at blurring speeds— just to get to the next thing.

But here you are— so very satisfied and full in a hungry and often shallow world. What can one possibly want when you have been enlivened to a whole other world that operates simultaneously with the one you used to know?

The experiences.

I remember now. I came here for the experiences. We all did but most of us have forgotten.

They’re not all pleasant. Many are indeed painful, but we came here to experience something we can’t feel over there. This is work here. It is hard. It requires a great deal of patience and understanding, the very things that we were born with but are squeezed out of us. We came here with pure hearts, filled with grace; mercy and understanding for the human condition. For its individuated uniqueness, each bearing tasks that only that person came to handle. That is what makes it so divine.

Each experience is like a stitch in the quilt. Each thought. Each life we touch. Each time we step outside of our comfort zone. Each time we overcome something. Every time we break the cycle. When we say yes to the thing that will lead us home, wherever home is… each time, a piece is added and we are the amalgamation of those pieces. Will we allow the “bad” ones to darken our view on humanity? Will we allow the “good” to cause us to become boastful?

There is an oracle card that I have, it is the one with the Holly king and the Oak King. The lore is that they do battle twice a year for the throne. At Yule— the Winter solstice, the Oak kings presides over the kingdom, representing the light and youth. At Midsummer/Litha— the summer solstice, the Holly king resumes his reign, ushering in the darkness and turning the tides toward winter. But the chief point is that; everything is set in the way of things.

These two entities battle it out twice a year but they will always resume their post precisely when they are meant to, without fault.

If there are guideposts, landmarks, experiences that are meant to be had whilst our human goes unawares, wouldn’t it be more beneficial to enjoy the ride because it’s going to take us where we are meant to go, regardless of how we feel about it?

Everything is set in the way of things, so why fight it? Why argue? Why resist it? Resistance causes suffering. Why not embrace the moments along the way to wherever it is that we’re going? Why not make peace with the pain that you’ve endured thus far because in some way, maybe there was a purpose beyond our present scope of understanding at the time? I’m not suggesting enjoying it but possibly having a humble respect for it, recognizing its eternal value.

We often have no idea the value of a gesture or an action— not on this side of the turf. But it’s terribly important that we do it, whatever it is that we fell called to do. We’re meant to do it because it’s what we came here for…

Be blessed x