living life

waking every morning to the same life is wonderful: there is security and comfort in the familiarity that each morning brings. and that is why waking every morning to the same life is dangerous: familiarity dulls the senses and most importantly our understanding of the world gets fixed. however short a journey this is it is nevertheless a shot in the leg. a shot that draws pain and in that pain life is revealed. we derive great pleasure through association with others and the esteem drawn from them so much so that many lives are a product of expectation. we endeavour to express ourselves in language, cloth and demeanour in a fashion that best exemplifies us. when all this is stripped away, what is left? i think Life is left with the many gifts it brings: the gift of waking, the gift of breathing, the gift of being aware, the gift of presence. it is no wonder that mother teresa gave away everything material and then herself to be with those with none. she truly understood the value of life, seeing the beauty in those we have not. the beauty that is a life graciously given. a life that should be graciously shared through love. and love's language is a verb. i pray for the weakness to love others as God loves us.