Saddened...................

I try to read something inspirational most mornings. The past few weeks I've been RE-reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I've read this book many times and with each reading, I find something I have missed, and something I can delve into and use. It was several minutes after I put down the book this Monday morning that I learned of the suicide of Mr. Warren's son this past Saturday. Of course any death is sad, but particularly of a young person at his own hand. The article I read spoke of the mental issues that this young man had been battling his entire life. So I began to think of how no one is immune to tragedy. No one is outside the realm of grief and shock. I don't propose to even begin to understand the depth of despair the Warren's must be in at this time. I'm sure that possibly some of you do. And if you do, my heart is broken for you. Life happens both in its joy and sadness to all of us. Questions are left unanswered. Puzzles are left with scattered pieces. We ask why and are met with silence. We can react in many ways. We can scream out our blame, or we can turn inward in our agony. We can become someone who is unrecognizable even to ourselves. A myriad of actions and emotions can and do evolve. Lives must never be taken for granted. Joy must never be assumed. This very moment is the biggest of your life because it may be your last. And so my thought is this.........if your heart and the hearts of your loved ones are beating, if you treasure your people and are treasured in return, what more could you want? Whether you have read the book, whether you think Rick Warren is a gifted leader or some sort of New Age guru doesn't matter. What matters is that you understand that no matter your success or lack thereof, you have the responsibility to take life as it comes and realize that relationships are golden. And they are not to be buried, even for a second, hour or a day. I bet Rick Warren would give everything he owns for five more minutes with his son. Love well my friends. It truly is your purpose.