Regrets….I Pray You Have Too Few

10 Jun Regrets….I Pray You Have Too Few

As a Funeral Celebrant, when a person passes away, my first step is to sit with the family to learn all I can about their loved one to tell their life story at a Celebration of Life.  It most often becomes a tactile experience.  Not only do they bounce from story, to memory, to tales of tribute and objects of ritual ~ they inevitably shift gears dialing down into the realm of failures.  Their eyes become empty as they step into the proverbial darkness of what should have been.

What I have learned is that we come into this world wholly pure and joyful.  We arrive without a single innate desire to deny anyone love and certainly are sponges to soak every ounce up.  Yet, somewhere down the line experiences of pain, abandonment, degradation or fear put us into emotional lockdown.  Some retract while others attack.  Everyone loses.

What is so prevalent to me however is that everyone still gravitates towards love.  Some have no idea how to love but display an almost primal need to find this sacred place.  The sons that chose not to go the extra mile for their Moms, yet could have.  The parents that admonished their child because they didn’t rise to their aspirations or orientation.  The spouses that lost touch and never circled back to say, “I chose you once, how can I find you again?”  The success stories that got lost in the glitter and fell from grace.

If we could step outside of the paralyzing world of ego to realize that struggles do not have to remain hostage to blame or judgement but rather received as an invitation to grow, the dark holes of regret might become a place where a beautiful flower can be planted to celebrate a life well loved.

Think of your last days…..what can you do today, to heal your tomorrow?

Telling Stories….One Legacy At A Time.