Love is Forever
(these are musings, not preaching)

To me, life has been a long series of failures, despite the momentary lulls of unimportant praise that have come my way. It is embarrassing to acknowledge my failures. I have flipped and flopped from one bad situation to another, most of which were out of sync with my vague understanding of what a good life is supposed to be. Still, at this writing, I realize that although there are many ways to live, there is only one way to die. Before my last exhalation, I would like to renounce my failures and misdeeds, and jump back onto my personal treadmill that is slightly inclined toward the horizon. If that does not right my ship of life, I could be looking at an elevated treadmill that extends outward to a far more distant horizon.

Life is difficult, but it is do-able. Accepting failures, challenges, and opportunities is the only way to get out of this world with a modicum of dignity. The important part of life has little to do with our needs; it has much to do with whether we helped others. Did we inspire, gave them a reason to continue their journey that has been as difficult as our own? Soon enough we discover that little else matters. All the praise, the accolades, and the “attaboys” will disappear into the great abyss when we also disappear from this life. There are many variations on this theme, but they all likely fit somewhere close to that description.

One of my favorite quotes about life is this: “I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” That is the poet’s version of life. It could be interpreted as “I have valued life too much to be fearful of death.” Each is an aspiration, not a destination. Each requires effort. But what an inspiration! It is difficult for me to read those words without feeling something good within my mind and heart. Old biases and habits tend to recede into the darkness. To me this simple acknowledgment beats the pants off of prayer, ie, asking for something from Providence, Karma, or God. Asking for favors is not very God-like. But it’s OK to ask for the strength to carry on when we get tired. The rest borders on selfishness.

One of the descriptions of “life after life” as revealed to us via near-death-experiences (NDE’s) is this: There is no judgment, no hell, no damnation. Does that mean we all step from this world of troubles into an eternity filled only with happiness? I think not. Might we be asked to review our own life’s story, and to evaluate it? I think that you and I are harsher critics of our shortcomings than is anyone else. And would we dare try to “sugar coat” our failures in the presence of our maker? I would rather try to hold back the power of the sun, or try to catch all the hot pieces of an exploding star.

A song writer gave us this probing thought: “If tomorrow never comes...and my time on earth were through...Is the love I gave her in the past, gonna be enough to last, if tomorrow never comes.” I’m a lousy song writer, but I don’t believe that love has a time limit. Too soon we tire on our creaky treadmills...right before our last exhalation. But love is forever.