Thoughts on Eternity

Yesterday was the anniversary of a dear friend’s untimely death from cancer and the end of the first week of Spring in Australia.

Always, at this time of the year when delicate blossoms appear on the trees laid bare by winter and the air is filled with the heady sent of jasmine, I find myself thinking about life, loss and eternity.

As with most of us, I have experienced the death of loved ones from young – grandparents, my nine year old brother, friends – but somehow the death of this friend six years ago really shook my world.

She left behind a 9 year old child, a little girl who I had known and loved since her birth and had become extremely close to during the 5 years of her mother's illness. Sarah lived with us for over a year after her Mum died and experiencing that depth of loss through Sarah’s young eyes changed everything for me.

I remember a few days after the funeral, Sarah and I were walking through a grove of trees on Lindeman Island, when suddenly hundreds of butterflies appeared, filling the air with their fluttering wings. They seemed to be following us as we walked, some briefly landing on our shoulders. Sarah became really quiet, then turned and just looked at me and we both instinctively knew that her Mum was there with her and always would be.

Life is on-going and love is eternal, and eternity is not something in the future. Eternity starts here on earth and we need to live our lives holding on to that which we love and cherish.

I learned much about myself and about what is important in life from Sarah during that time, and it is good to be reminded of these lessons each year in the Spring ~ a time of new beginnings when the earth is dressed in green and sparkling with new life.

And now when I see Sarah, tall, confident, beautiful and all grown up at 15 years old, I still remember the delight on her little face when she looked up at me that day on the island, surrounded by butterflies, knowing that her mother's love for her would continue into eternity.

Spring always brings a reminder to: 
~ Take the time to laugh

~ Be kind as everyone is fighting their own battles

~ Tell those I love that I love them, often

~ Share all that I have

~ Love with my time, my hands, and my heart

~ It is the little things that are infinitely important

~ Celebrate each and every joy

~ Know that peace comes from within myself

~ The people we love live on in our hearts forever

~ Eternity is now and here on earth

I love this quote on life from Kalil Gibran:

“The reality of life is life itself

Whose beginning is not in the womb

And whose ending is not in the grave

For the years that pass

Are naught but a moment

In eternal life

And the world of matter

And all in it

Is but a dream”

And this from Antoine de Saint Exupery, from his wonderful book ‘The Little Prince’:

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly”