Dear Ones,

As we (our family) moved into a new community, I started reflecting on what it means to age. The first person our son and I met, as we climbed a few steps leading to the third floor, was an elderly woman. She had difficulty putting one foot in front of another and quickly moved aside to let us go.

This made me think of what the Buddha calls the four sufferings: birth, sickness, old age and death.

With much synchronicity, a member in our healing group suggested today an intention about aging–adding that it was a difficult process for many.

The intention became,

“May we all accept and embrace the process of aging with compassion, grace and dignity, while providing support to those who need it.”

Aging is an inescapable facet of life, which concerns us all, regardless of race or living conditions. Some of us may enjoy comfortable settings in their old age, yet that doesn’t make the slowing down of mental or bodily functions go away.

We also all have / have had parents whose final days or weeks were filled with difficulties and health challenges.

The purpose of this week’s theme is to make us look through the lenses of an aging person (ourselves in the first place) and lighten the path of those who need assistance while moving toward their final destination.

It is understood that the beliefs we have about this “final destination” may impact the way we progress in our mature years. Which means that, in many ways, death and aging are inseparable companions.

Let’s get together on Thursday!