We all have good intentions when it comes to accomplishing tasks that we hope to check off our lists. During holiday periods the lists just seem to get longer. I have to remind myself to keep things in perspective and remember the things in my life that are important and suddenly the list becomes shorter and I become happier.
One year ago I attended the funeral of a young man named Sam who was born with muscular dystrophy. He had a fighting spirit, a wicked sense of humor and a big heart. Life was difficult for Sam as his muscles mass deteriorated and he lost the ability to walk, sit comfortably and eat and breathe without assistance. Sam never complained according to his lifelong friends. Despite his medical condition, Sam attended and graduated from Santa Susanna High School and went on to graduate from California State University Northridge. He loved his job at the local Boys and Girls Club were he worked with the after school program and had lots of friends and fans. Sam touched many people throughout his life.
At his service the words of Chaim Potok were read:
I learned a long time ago, Reuven, that a blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something. A span of life is nothing. But the man who lives that span, he is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant. Do you understand what I am saying? A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life.
Sam's life was abbreviated, however the years he was alive were filled with meaning.
I ponder the meaning I have created with my life. My time on earth is insignificant, as am I. What can I do, despite obstacles far smaller than Sam's, to improve the lives of others?
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