As I sit in front of my computer on a quiet early afternoon, I cannot help but contemplate the fact that life can be unexpectedly short for some, and that it behooves us to make the best we can out of our lives.
In a very short period of time, we have experienced the cancer illnesses of three very special people. One a cousin of mine, another a close family friend, and the other the mother of one of our daughter’s best friends. My cousin and our daughter’s friend’s mother both sadly passed away in the past couple of days. Both were in their 60’s. Our family friend is in his 80’s, but was always fit and full of life. He now has a very short time to live.
At times like these I find myself reflecting on life itself. My wife and I are believers in God, and believe only He knows the reason why certain things happen in life. Not everyone believes in God, of course, and I imagine they must have their own ways of making sense out of things. But to us, our faith is a source of strength and peace of mind that we would not have otherwise.
Whether or not one believes in God, I feel that reflecting on life and periodically doing a quiet introspection is a healthy exercise. Like the saying goes… we all know when we were born, but none of us can be sure about when we will die.
Precisely because life is unpredictable and can be unexpectedly short, it is important that we are at peace with ourselves in whatever fashion we feel is best for us. In our case, being at peace means being closer to God and having the best relationship we can with Him. It is what helps up make sense of the things that happen all around us. Although, in truth, sometimes we cannot understand tragedies like for example, the recent mass shootings in the U.S. To me, this is just a reminder that our human brains cannot fully comprehend the reasons for everything that occurs.
Life will consistently throw at us challenges in many ways and forms. Deaths, illnesses, marital problems, financial problems, or problems in the world around us. Here in Puerto Rico we are going through a major upheaval in the government, even as we continue to struggle to recover from Hurricane Maria two years ago. In addition, we still have not recovered from the immense financial and fiscal crisis in which the island has wallowed for years.
Stateside they are struggling to cope with the hate-fueled mass shootings that are now occurring with alarming frequency. They are also struggling to cope with a President who, whether you like him or not, undeniably has created more division among the U.S. public than ever before.
Globally, tensions continue to rise between superpowers, with the U.S. now having pulled out of a decades-old nuclear treaty with Russia. Relations between the U.S. and China are not at a high point either.
Faced with our own personal issues in addition with everything that is going on around us, it behooves us to make the best that we can out of our lives, repeating what I said back in my opening paragraph.
After all, life can be unexpectedly short.