What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. -Albert Pike

Death has a heavy hand and its blow is life’s greatest to deal with. No matter when, where, why, or who, it never ceases to surprise us. It leaves us with our mouths open as we take the uppercut of news and no matter who you are it always makes you question a thing or two even if just for a moment…. life, time, love, your spirituality, etc. Sometimes we can justify and reconcile it (“He lived a full life”); other times we can’t (“She was so young”). There are people in our lives that have left indelible marks on our hearts, our human blueprint. Sometimes it doesn’t require for them to be in our lives for long for such an impact to be felt but a piece of their spirit leaked out and touched yours in passing, in talks, in actions. These are the things you remember them for. These are the things you will eventually, along with your own impact, pass on to someone else. This week has reminded me, like the quote above, that when the cards fall and final words have been said, when you’re at your final resting place with flowers at your head…no one remembers or cares what you did for yourself. They remember what you did for them in your words or deeds.

If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again. -Flavia Weedn

Dreams don’t die…they just change shape. I was speaking with one of my dearest friends yesterday and we talked about getting there and not being where we thought we would be. I told her that no matter what wrong path we might end up taking in life, God will re-route us. It may take us a little longer to get to the destination He had planned but He will get us there. Thankfully for many, including myself, He never gets tired of having to pick us up off the side of the road..in fact, it’s a service that is included in His membership plan (like AAA!). Sometimes we make a choice that leads us down the right road and, often unsure of ourselves, we are constantly checking the rearview for flashing lights or something saying we should stop, but He doesn’t send them because we are headed in the right direction. My point is that we don’t necessarily know the big plan…what’s at the end of the road…except that there is a path. And like any good driver, you need to know when it’s time to pull over…give it a rest, take a break…but you eventually have to get off the shoulder and move forward again. Your dream might have been heading north but sometimes you go north-west or completely the opposite direction cause you got hungry, bored, tired, or adventurous and you gain a different perspective by going in a different direction, wrong or right. The destination doesn’t change, the road does. Planning the trip is easy and flawless. Doing the trip can be a very different story. Taking a different route doesn’t destroy your dreams; on the contrary, new life gets breathed into them and they take on a different look, feel and dimension.