On April 24th, 2024, my Gramps decided his time on this planet would come to an end. The truth of the matter was, he probably had a lot more life in him, but it wouldn’t have been the life he wanted to live. Had my Gramps made it through his routine surgery, he probably would have needed to be on dialysis, among other things, and Gramps did not do well with rules or anything that impeded his freedom.

As much as I miss him, I know he died happy, content, complete.

Since his passing, I’ve been thinking a lot about grief and our awakening. Grief has a mysterious way of waking us up. It kick-starts our hearts into alignment with our purpose and reminds us that we only have one life, and it goes by way too fast. I’m begging for us not to wait for a loss, a tragedy, or a traumatic event to wake us up to the life we want to live. Decide to live it today, whether you’re 38 or 83.

If my Gramps were here today, I’d probably ask him something like, “Hey Gramps, are you coming over this weekend for the BBQ?” to which he’d respond, “Well, Ash, does a bear shit in the woods?”

That was my Gramps. A funny guy, a rolling stone, a Dude who not everyone understood, but everyone loved.

Reflect:

* How has grief awakened you in your own life? How has grief mysteriously inspired you to live the life you’re meant to live?

* Life isn’t meant to be understood - it’s meant to be felt. Are you truly living and feeling your way through life?

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