Serenity, Courage, and Wisdom

Serenity to accept.

Courage to change.

Wisdom to know.

Every day, I say this prayer.

Many times a day, I say this prayer.

Every moment, I need this prayer.

I've been thinking about death.

Memento mori.

Practicing an awareness and a remembrance of

the battles, the beauty, and the brevity of life.

Four years ago, I lost Dad.

I hold and cherish the memories he left behind.

His love, his lessons, and his legacy.

Two months ago, we lost Travis Ely.

This young man, adored and filled with enthusiasm for life.

His life tragically cut short.

I've been thinking about the legacy we leave behind.

As a writer, I try to capture bits of life wisdom to share.

As a community servant, I try to contribute my values and virtue in action.

I hope to be a good steward of this one life I've been given.

To live with serenity, courage, and wisdom.

To demonstrate faith, hope, love, joy, and peace.

Mornings are the time I wrestle with the big questions of life.

How I can self-actualize and serve heroically.

Installing and refining habits and practices that optimize this life I'm living.

And all the while, I know that life is fragile.

Life is filled with battles and beauty, but life is brief.

In Travis's life, tragically so; in Dad's still "not enough" as we would have liked.

But then I think of Dad and Travis.

Neither of them wrote any books and neither needed to write anything.

Their lives were their legacy.

We were given a great gift in these lives.

Their impact was deep and will continue to live on in the lives they touched.

There is nothing that can replace or fill the holes they left,

but we can cherish and remember their great impact.

I think of this prayer of serenity.

How there is so much we cannot control.

And so much we can.

Today, I am remembering death.

That separation of the physical connection we all have with one another.

But I'm also remembering life, and the bonds that will never be broken.

I am grateful for these two lives.

And this life that I steward.

Today, may I remember the impact of those lives.

May we all share their love and zest for life.

And may we find serenity, courage, and wisdom.

Today and every day we are given.