From the minute we are born until the minute we take our final breath, our life consists of a series of events. As children we learn to recognize events that bring us joy, such as birthdays or Christmas with gifts and family gatherings. We start the first day of school with excitement, anticipation and even fear. Fear of leaving the safety and comfort of home unsure of what this new event might bring.
Those same feelings carry us through middle school and drop us into high school. High school is where we face major new events. Friendships are formed that may last us a lifetime. But we may also possibly meet people who will not become our friend. We might be bullied or even ostracized for whatever reason as cruelty can abound at this age.
We cheer our sports teams, got to prom, fall in love and maybe end up with a broken heart. The events of high school can be pretty rough or pretty sweet. Finally, we graduate and head off to college, trade school, the military, or into the work force.
We study, we learn and we head off into the great unknown and face the monumental event of making a living. We might marry, have children, become a parent or an aunt or uncle.
Along the way through these years, we may face the event of divorce, loss of a loved one, or even illness. And yet, we survive it all. We overcome; we move forward.
And one day we realize that we got old. We look back on all these many events that formed who we were, who we became, what we have been and what we will soon be as we enter a new chapter of our life in spirit.
Was I kind, compassionate, trustworthy? Did I live joyfully and honestly? Did I help others in need or did I turn away? Did I embrace every single event in my life as being wondrous, good or bad, happy or sad? Did I remember to thank God every day?
If not, it is not too late. Every day we wake is the start of a new event. How we approach it is up to us.
Reverend Sharon Bianchi