Celebrating Life

Tonight, tears come to my eyes as I think of Kira's parents in a hospital miles from here, grieving and hoping for their little girl. And I hold our little Priya a little tighter, and am a little more patient with her cries, and pick her up a little oftener, and change her diapers a little more cheerfully, and thank God a little more for today. None of us has the promise of tomorrow, either for ourselves or for our children. Life is a fragile gift. Yet its fragility does not mean we must tip toe through it, afraid of breaking it. NO!

The metephor that comes to mind is the zip line at Camp Andrews. I had heard about it many times, seen pictures of it, and thought it sounded like so much fun. Last summer when I went to Girl's Camp for a week as camp nurse, at about 6 months pregnant, I asked for the chance to try it, if it wouldn't hurt the baby. I was assured that it wouldn't do her any harm, so I donned the gear, climbed the scaffolding, sat on the edge of the platform, and...sat on the edge of the platform...and sat on the edge of the platform. It looked so scary from up there. Finally, in a burst of grit, I pushed myself off, and zipped screaming off into the night, over the lantern lit path, up into the dark woods, and back down to the disembarking platform. Was it ever fun! Over in a few moments, but oh the thrill of those moments! That is how I want to live life. Taking the plunge. Living it fully. Not holding back. Sometimes we forget, until a tragedy reminds us of how we want to live. Today I remembered again.