from a letter to my wife

most life is lived on a superficial level, going about days vaguely aware that we are alive, missing the songs of the birds, the blue of the sky, the embrace of the breeze, the warmth of the sun. then there are days such as these when life presents itself as precious; moments lose their unimportance and are embraced for what they really are: being alive in the here and now. if anything is ever learned from brushes with mortality it is that life is for living, for loving, for enjoying, for experiencing. life is not for worry nor for fret, not for pettiness nor for greed, not for anger nor revenge; life is way too precious for these. life is in the wag of a tail, the kiss of a lover, the sun setting over the pacific like a huge orange balloon. life is laughter and a smile. it is the touch of the hand of your other in the darkness of night. life is love and love is life.

our bodies are mortal but our souls are not. we evolve our souls by living and loving life. we are here for a reason, a part to perform in the eternal passion play. our "life" is not limited to the time we spend on this earthly plane, this is but a testing ground, a classroom if you will, for the growing soul as we go on our journey back to the eternal source of all, as we evolve into our fullest selves: Children of God.