I've been at births and I have had a loved one die in my arms and...

Finally someone else speaks of the correlation between birth and death. I have never been to a birth that hasn't reminded me of that moment when my grandma took her last breath in my arms. Its not morbid or sad in anyway. It is real life and is something that we will all face both at the beginning and end of our lives. 
Thank you Dancing Star Birth for posting this video on your Facebook Page today. Poignant and touching, this video chronicles the last days of the life of a man named Lord Gould. He says that when you really know you are about to die "Life screams at you in its intensity". Let us not be afraid to die or afraid to live while we are here. Namaste friends.  

Whether you believed in his politics, or not...

Jack Layton was greatly loved by Canadians. RIP Jack Layton. 1950-2011

This past Saturday (less than 48 hours before he died), Jack Layton penned a very moving two page letter to Canadians. The letter can be found here.

Politics aside here are a just a couple of excerpts:

“Unfortunately, my treatment has not worked out as I hoped,” he wrote. “So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.”

To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." -August 20 2011-Jack Layton 1950-2011

I lost a loved one

Death is a part of life as we all know, but its still incredibly sad knowing that the person you will miss is no longer walking around on this earth.You won't again look into those eyes, listen to their jokes, break bread with them, or again have the opportunity to tell them what they have always meant to you. Thats why it really is extremely important to tell people (*and often) how much they matter. We're all going to die (as much as we don't like to dwell on it) and tomorrow is not promised to anyone. My cherished loved one's name is Andy, and Andy knew very well just how loved he was, and what a huge impact he had on my life from my earliest memory. (I'd be feeling pretty rotten right now if that was not the case.) This was a very close friend of the family, and in many ways like the dad I never had as a child. Anyways, I'll be flying out of town tomorrow to celebrate the life of this wonderful man so ALL of my classes will be subbed by a whole bunch of FABulous teachers (that I am hugely grateful to). I'll see you the following week.

Below is a beautiful quote I came across this morning. Its really lovely:

Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy. ~Author Unknown


Steve Jobs: How to live before you die

At his Stanford University commencement speech, Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple and Pixar, urges us to pursue our dreams and see the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself.