Life is but a fragile and daring adventure, with the time remaining for each of us only to be interpreted as a lingering question mark. When I look at my 92-year-old grandma, this sobering fragility pulses through my entire being—there is no permanence, and tomorrow is not guaranteed. Each day is a miracle and every day is extra; it is life gifting us another chance to laugh, love, and be together. Will we accept this gift and embrace it?
Every human carries within them the ability to give life. Of course, this is true in reproduction, however, this also includes organ donors, bone marrow donors, blood donors, etc. Around the world, all of these donors collectively help give, save, and sustain life. They share themselves with strangers as we all hope for our dreams to come true and our prayers to be answered; for life to extend a little longer or even be made possible to begin with.
From the kitchen table where I sit now, I see an old polaroid photograph of my dad and his sister when they were five and three years old. I never had the opportunity to meet my aunt because she passed before I was born. In her mid-twenties, she was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. This unfortunate sickness arrived as a painful shock to my family. During a bone marrow transplant that was intended to save her life, medical personnel encountered complications that led to her sudden death. Through the indescribable pain and loss of his sister, my dad decided to become a bone marrow donor, donating to a little boy needing a transplant. I do not share this story to oversimplify the loss of his sister or to oversimplify life itself; however, without losing his sister in the way he did, he would not have become a bone marrow donor. But, because of his experience, he carried within him the hope of helping save someone else’s life in the way he wished they could have saved his sister.
There is a strange collateral beauty that threads together our deepest sorrows, pain, and agony with the sacredness of life, genuine love, and newfound meaning. Things are often not as we imagined or hoped for them to be; however, this does not mean the beauty in life disappears, throwing us into the arms of nihilism and meaninglessness. We cannot control many things occurring in our lives, and when it comes down to it, we all need and depend on each other. Our current systems and everything our civilization has created throughout the years points to our inextricable connection.
Whether we live in the same neighborhood or different countries, our actions impact one another and the world around us. Some of these effects can be colossal, while others seem microscopic. Nonetheless, we are in constant relationship with our environment and one another. And while there exists the physical giving of life, it is essential to highlight that giving life extends beyond the physical alone. It also includes the spirit and drive within each of us—here, we discover the ability to create and give life in place of destroying and ruining life.
Giving life is a way of being. It is in our words, how we speak to ourselves, and how we interact with others. We consciously get to decide whether we want to build up those around us and speak life into them, or tear them down with criticism and negativity. We determine whether we will bring about healing or cause greater harm.
What kind of person will you be, and what kind of person will I be? In what ways can we create life and love in this world? Today is our extra day, our miracle, and it is our invitation to be love and share life. Let’s make sure we do not pass it up.
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