funerals and thoughts

    In the last two weeks I have gone to two funerals. One was for someone I knew pretty well or thought I did and the other was someone I was aquainted with only to a small degree. As usual I have thought quite alot about what was said and unsaid at the funerals and by family members both before and after the passing of thier loved ones.

  Two very differnt conclusions have come to mind. The first is that in life many of the better things people do are never on the "big" stage of life and take place quietly so the only folks who even know they have happened are the people who were present when the event happened. How different this is from watching the news where night after night it seems all we see is the things people do things which are not so good. So, being slow it has taken me all of this time to see that there is so very much right with the world that none or few of us ever see. Kind of sad when you really think about it. What can I do about it? Tell about the good things I see in people. Speak of this and let others know. It makes the world a better place.

  The second is just as profound to me but probably just as hard to see. People rarely treat everyone the same, and i am not sure they even recognize why it is this way. The parent and child or spouses may have always had a diffcult time when everyone else has a very easy relationship with someone. I have wondered about this for a long time. I think it is a form of ignorance and not so much of a deliberate thing.  Life does not come with an instruction book. It is far too complicated for any set of rules to cover all of the things that can and do happen. Maybe the best advice I have ever seen is pretty simple and like all seemingly simple things really complex. Treat everyone with love. More of a challenge to do than say. Peace.

~arturus~