"Everybody understands suffering. It's something that we all share with everybody else."
"No matter what your circumstances you will end up losing everything you love, end up aging, you will end up ill, and the problem is that we need to figure out how to make that be all alright."
"When I know the glass is already broken, I know every minute is precious."That last one couldn't better capture our time with little Gabrielle.
I should also share that I just can't help but view our indulgent society with all its frills and luxuries akin to Buddha's childhood palace with its material and egoistic ambitions... and how utterly afraid everyone is to hurt and suffer... and how "un-real" that world view is.
I've long, long wanted to share these thoughts and parallels with Buddhism to our time with Gabrielle. I couldn't explain the former to you any better than this documentary does:
"The Buddha saw death and life as inseparable. These are two sides of the same thing. Death is always with us. Death is part of the whole large unknown. And if we are unable to smile at the idea of the unknown, then we're in real trouble."
Regan and Amy and boys....this is a day early but I want to share how grateful Scott, Emma and I are to have met your amazing daughter Gabrielle....she was a light in our darkness when we were at that 1 year mark after losing Ethan....we actually met you all on that very day and we couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate his angel day. Gabrielle was beautiful, wise beyond her years....wise beyond I-cell disease....she was an old soul....more in touch with the true meaning of life than most people....she brought our family a great deal of joy, peace and happiness at a time when we needed it most.....all our love on this so so difficult of days.....I cannot sit here and say this gets easier.....not with the loss of a child....its just that each day we train ourselves to find new ways to "get through"......I love the quote from the Buddha....how true that death is something we all face as well as suffering and pain.....our children have taught us how to embrace that ....or at least try.....as well as how to embrace simple beauty, simple joy and simple peace......love is all that matters in the end and Gabrielle knew that from the start.......we love you.
ReplyDelete