When my father was a young teen, he was hit by a truck.
He was in a coma for three days, and spent more than six months in hospital.
He fought back from the effect that this had upon him; he's learned to continue learning, and he's given me strong values, honest advice, emotional support and love beyond measure. I owe so much to my mother and father, and I was thinking today about my father in particular (he's just had a birthday).
What if that truck had killed him?
Sometimes our lives can be affected by a few seconds, or by a centimetre to the left or right, or to a decision to turn left or right, or by some inexplicable recovery when all medical hope seemed gone.
We can be strong and powerful; we can be open to learning from life; we can embrace opportunity and have kindness in our heart because we know how precious life is - and I think it stems largely from our knowledge of the fragility of life. We hold it in our hands; it's like a butterfly that we could crush with a clumsy move, or we can open our fingers like the scarlet silk of a flower to let the butterfly drift into the clear air.
What things have affected how you perceive life? Has someone close to you faced things that have helped you to define the meaning of life?
