One year ago, my grandson Adam, had his wisdom teeth removed. This week, my granddaughter Courtney, did the same. One year ago, when I went to Tennessee for Thanksgiving, I was facing major surgery when I returned. This year feels so much different, and yet I have a sense of déjà vu.
For sure, life is at any given moment more unsure than it seems, and also more sure. Last week a childhood friend of mine watched her husband die from lung cancer. We do not stay in these bodies forever….
When it is all said and done, what have I said and what have I done that has made life better for others? Have I picked up trash that I did not throw out? Have I held a hand, or opened a door? Have I dreamed a better way and done something to bring that dream into reality? I would say, yes.
This week a wonderful young woman who has survived a LOT in her 29 years, told me a favorite funny movie of hers is Yes Man, starring Jim Carrey.
Here is what I found about the film online:
Jim Carrey stars as Carl Allen, a guy whose life is going nowhere—the operative word being no—until he signs up for a self-help program based on one simple covenant: say yes to everything and anything. Unleashing the power of YES begins to transform Carl’s life in amazing and unexpected ways, getting him promoted at work and opening the door to a new romance. But his willingness to embrace every opportunity might just become too much of a good thing.
It may be wise to exercise some restraint rather than saying yes to everything and anything, but what might the world gain if you brought your authentic self to the fore? Might you be another Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni or Ludwig van Beethoven? What awakened the destiny of Christopher Columbus or Jehanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc)?
While I was in the hospital (6 Garden at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in Mishawaka, Indiana), I was surrounded by angels working as nurses. I am grateful I thought to take photos. Throughout the year their faces have come back to me wrapped in the lovely memories of their kindness and compassion. They were the best.
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| Elizabeth |
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| Francesca |
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| Kristie |
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| Pat |
I wonder about each of them and what this past year has brought to them and to those they have cared for. As a tribute to nurses everywhere, paid and volunteer, I would invite you to say this prayer every day from now until the end of the year. “I say yes to the best.”
That’s it. Short. Simple. Say yes to the best. Very easy to remember.
