Life and Death

With writing I always seem to have difficulty finding the starting point. The last few weeks I have woken up in the morning with many themes that want to be expressed, but I just didn't start. So, tonight I am starting, but the themes aren't there. Perhaps I just need to tell you who I am at this moment. It is July 29th, 2008 and I am 58. There are many currents running through my life. One current is all the people I know and the things I am doing with them. Another is my home and where I live and what I am attempting to create for myself. And then there is the major current of my life which is my journey within, to discover my true self and bring that to the surface, and to practice being present in this moment, unencumbered by the thought forms that create suffering and fear.

So, why start with life and death? I would say that this past year I am learning about death so that I can better live life. When we are afraid of dying we are also often afraid of living. I spent 5 weeks last year participating in the slow death of my father. One thing I have learned from the experience is that upon death we give up all the forms that have defined our lives and are just left with our being. Another thing that I learned is that we are all dying a long and sometimes painful death, and our suffering is mainly caused by our thoughts. So, we have the choice to let go of those thoughts now and live more fully and joyfully, or we can wait until we die when there is no choice.