We Blossom and Flourish

 in buddhism there is a teaching called "impermanence."  nothing lasts.  change is constant.  from one nanosecond to the next, everything is different.  the end of something is inherent in its beginning.  i remember once, my mother-in-law and i looked at the huge oak tree in our back yard in our former home. it had begun to leaf out in the spring.  she said, "just look at that tree.  soon this yard will be filled with dead leaves that will have to be raked up."  at the time, i thought that this was a terribly pessimistic point-of-view.  instead of glorying in the beauty of spring, my mother-in-law was thinking about fall and all the work ahead.  now i see the wisdom in her statement.  the end of the beautiful green leaves of the tree was inherent in their beginning, just as the end of the giant oak was inherent in the tiny acorn that was at its beginning.

there is a similar teaching in christianity.  the writer of proverbs tells us that "to every thing there is a season."  the entire first chapter of ecclesiastes is devoted to impermanence, as the writer speaks of the vanity of life, literally the mist that is life.  to be born is to start our progress towards death.  we don't know if death is the ultimate end.  orthodox christians believe that it is the beginning of a new sort of life in another place called "heaven," if we've believed the right things during earthly life.  many others believe that death leads to a new life in another body as we progress in the direction of ultimate awakening or enlightenment.  perhaps both ideas are wrong, and death is the cessation of each human life, as our bodies nourish new life through their decay.

whatever the ultimate outcome of our lives, death will come to each of us.  to ignore that fact is to pretend that we can stop the force of change, but change is inexorable.  we must recognize the truth of impermanence.  the only thing that is constant is change.  may we prepare for what is inevitable.  may we recognize the truth of impermanence.  may we relish the moment without clinging to it, for it can never come again.  may we be filled with peace as we seek to fill our lives with lovingkindness and compassion.  shalom.