When we're old, our lives become the sum of all whom we have loved. It is important not to waste anyone. One task of living out the last half of life is excavating and recovering all of those whom we loved the first half. Thus, the recovery of lost loves becomes an important way in which the past affects the present.
~ from AGING WELL by George E. Vaillant in "Spirituality & Health" - Fall 2001
I have learned to quit speeding through life, always trying to do too many things too quickly, without taking the time to enjoy each day's doings. I think I always thought of real living as being high. I don't mean on drugs – I mean real living was falling in love, or when I got my first job, or when I was able to help somebody . . . In between the highs I was impatient — you know how it is — life seemed so Daily. Now I love the dailiness. I enjoy washing dishes, I enjoy cooking, I see my father's roses out the kitchen window. I like picking beans. I notice everything – birdsongs, the clouds, the sound of wind, the glory of sunshine after two weeks of rain. These are the things I took for granted before [cancer].
~ Olive Ann Burns quoted in MITTEN STRINGS FOR GOD by Katrina Kenison
Once we begin to see our lives within our own families as opportunities for spiritual
development, the possibility of inner growth is unlimited. Home is no longer just a
place to eat and sleep, but a school for our souls and spirits. Each day yields its
lesson, and our children and partners become our teachers. We find our rhythm and
learn to harmonize. We learn how to cherish and care for one another and how to
care for our own souls as well. We learn to dance together, how to lead and when
to follow. In so doing, we bring about changes both large and small, for our
children, nurtured by rhythm, may ultimately heal and restore the rhythm of the
world.
