I read a little story recently that I want to share with you:
Okay. The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He’s enjoying the wind and the fresh air – until he notices the other waves in front of him crashing against the shore.
“My God, this is terrible” the wave says. “Look at what’s going to happen to me!”
Then along came another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him “Why do you look so sad?”
The first wave says “You don’t understand! We’re all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn’t it terrible?”
The second wave says “No you don’t understand. You’re not a wave; you’re part of the ocean.”
You’re part of the ocean…
When we lose someone we tend to focus on the individual. Who they were; what they did; how they lived. But maybe it would help to look at things from a much larger perspective. You know I never got to know your mother well but I will always be reminded of her every time I see you and your daughters.
When we are born, our parents pass part of themselves to us. Certainly, our parents give us everything that makes up our physical beings. But there is more to us than the physical parts. We get much of the knowledge of the world around us from those that we are surrounded by as we grow from infants into adulthood. We get our ideas and desires and likes and dislikes from watching others. But that doesn’t mean that we are copies. As individuals we take what we see and experience and make it our own. Some of these things are the important parts of what we want to become. Other things we quickly discard as what we never want in our individual lives. But no matter what we do with these things, they help make us who we are.
When I look at you I will always be able to see part of your mother. Some of it may be right on the surface for everyone to see. Some pieces may be locked away where only you can see, but it still makes you the individual that others interact with. You, in turn, are passing things to your daughters that they will keep with them throughout their lives. This will carry on from past generations to future generations.
But our lives go even deeper than that. Your mother interacted with many others throughout her life. At the Funeral Home, I had a moment to reflect on the many people that were in the room. All these individuals were in some way affected by the interaction that they had with her. Some may have had daily contact, while others only knew her briefly. But we all have one thing in common. We are forever changed by her presence.
So as you reflect on the memories, remember that we are all shaped by our interactions with others and are forever change by them. Because just as the little wave found out; you’re not just a wave, you’re part of the ocean… you’re part of the ocean! SEP
