A year ago on such a day, I lost an amazing aunt. She wasn’t wealthy in layman terms but she was rich in her own merit. She had an eye for the sad and discouraged people, she was compassionate and always enjoyed talking to strangers and friends to offer encouragement and just cheer them up. Frankly I thought it was weird, a waste of time and energy because I didn’t see how that was helping her to develop into a successful, high flying, modern woman, those were roles played by nuns and not learned corporate people.
But time has shown that this is indeed the beauty of life. It is not in the material things we own, or the papers we have attained, neither in our high flying careers, nor the places we have been to. It is in the relationships we treasure, be it with parents, siblings, friends, classmates, colleagues or even angel like acquaintances. There are relationships we hold dear and strive to appreciate whenever we can.
This week she is one Shujaa I want to celebrate. Here is a poem she shared with me while in palliative care before she passed away, which I hope will encourage someone too.
May You Find Serenity
May you find serenity and tranquility
In a world you may not always understand.
May the pain you have known
And the conflict you have experienced
Give you the strength to walk through life
Facing each new situation with courage and optimism.
Always know that there are those
Whose love and understanding will always be there,
Even when you feel most alone.
May a kind word,
A reassuring touch,
And a warm smile
Be yours every day of your life,
And may you give these gifts
As well as receive them.
May the teachings of those you admire
Become part of you,
So that you may call upon them.
Remember, those whose lives you have touched
And who have touched yours
Are always a part of you,
Even if the encounters were less than you would have wished.
It is the content of the encounter
That is more important than its form.
May you not become too concerned with material matters,
But instead place immeasurable value
On the goodness in your heart.
Find time in each day to see beauty and love
In the world around you.
Realize that what you feel you lack in one regard
You may be more than compensated for in another.
What you feel you lack in the present
May become one of your strengths in the future.
May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility.
Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.
May you find enough inner strength
To determine your own worth by yourself,
And not be dependent
On another’s judgment of your accomplishments.
May you always feel loved.
Poem by Sandra Sturtz Hauss
