Xmas

Xmas season is upon us and I had an early gift - 4 days away in Salt Lake, with my sister, to do genealogy research at the Vatican of genealogy libraries there. It was a thrilling time to find new bits of knowledge about our ancestors, turning up new names, going back more generations. But in so many ways the gift was about time (and it was 'about time' I got away for a break, too!). Our trip started out with the huge disappointment of learning that since a 91 year-old Mormon church elder had passed away, the library would be closed almost the entire 2nd day we were there - thus a third of our research time, gone. But we re-framed our thinking, passing time together in sunny Salt Lake & hanging out at a spa (lesson learned: always book a 90 minute massage if possible. :-)

In a much deeper sense what got blazoned in my brain is the time limitation we all have -- thus the reminder of spending it wisely. Searching through generations & generations of records - which are essentially an ancestor's life distilled down to birth, marriage, more births, and death - you see the cycle of life keep repeating and repeating. And of course it's impossible not to be acutely aware that you yourself are in the middle of one of these countless cycles. We're all just part of the current blip in this little patch of evolutionary time...

A sobering example of the life cycle presented itself again at the end of our trip. This time with sad news that hit home. My lifelong friend, Liz N, finally lost her battle to leukemia. She was suffering and the quality of her vibrant, exuberant life had dwindled so, perhaps making the news somehow more acceptable. But it still hurts & she will be missed. It's all a profound reminder of "Life is short, make the best of it." To me that means Love yourself, Love your family, Love your children, Love your friends, Love your community, Love your planet - in no special order. Merry Xmas.