{"id":5574,"date":"2020-10-07T23:57:33","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T23:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/griefjourney.com\/?page_id=5574"},"modified":"2020-10-07T23:59:10","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T23:59:10","slug":"life-learnings","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/griefjourney.com\/article-library\/life-learnings\/","title":{"rendered":"Life Learnings"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Articles: Emotions and Other Adjustments<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Life Learnings\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It is amazing how life can change in a moment. Ask anyone who has had a loss. One minute you think you have the world by the tail, the situation well in hand, life under control. And in a flash, everything has changed.<\/p>

There\u2019s a wedding planned for this Saturday. It has been the focus of the young couple and their families for many months now. Arrangements have been made to make this a most memorable day in the lives of two happy people.<\/p>

But the wedding isn\u2019t going to happen this Saturday!<\/p>

Three weeks ago, exactly one month before her wedding, Brenda was killed, struck by a car while crossing a busy intersection. In that instant, life changed for her fianc\u00e9e, Jason. What should have been the best day of his life will probably be one of the saddest.<\/p>

Counsellors are not supposed to get emotionally involved with clients, but you show me ANY human being that would not be touched by this true story. As he sits in my office with tears pouring down his face, I realize that Jason is struggling not only<\/strong> with the loss of someone he loved very much (bad enough all by itself); but also with many of his hopes and dreams of \u201cliving happily ever after\u201d. In that instant, life changed.<\/p>

By some strange coincidence of fate, I am also currently counselling Lisa, who HAD her wedding day in May, and unbelievably witnessed her husband die of a brain aneurysm while they were on their honeymoon.\u00a0<\/p>

I have been a bit more reflective these last few weeks. Being invited to support Jason and Lisa through this time has been one thing that has made me stop and think a bit \u2026 about life, about what is important, and about how we have to take time to appreciate the things we have while we still can.<\/p>

Andy Rooney is a loveable old curmudgeon who appears on a weekly TV programme called \u201c60 Minutes\u201d. Andy usually has some words of wisdom on a variety of topics, based on his observations of people and situations. The following is based on some of his learning\u2019s about life, with a few of my own added in:<\/p>

\u00a0I’ve learned:<\/strong><\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0That being kind is more important than being right.<\/p>

….\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That PEOPLE matter more than THINGS<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That when you’re in love, it shows.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 that just one person saying to me, “You’ve made my day!” makes my day.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That you should never say no to a gift from a child.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help them in some other way.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That we should be glad God doesn’t give us everything we ask for.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That money doesn’t buy class.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That it’s those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That the Lord didn’t do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That love, not time, heals all wounds.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That life is tough, but I’m tougher.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That when you harbour bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.<\/p>

….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the\u00a0 happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.<\/p>

… \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life threatening situation.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.<\/p>

…. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.\u00a0<\/p>

Perhaps if I were to ask Jason or Lisa in a few months what some of their learning\u2019s will be, they might say:<\/p>

\u2026 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That life is short, and we have to make the most of every minute.<\/p>

\u2026\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That the people in our lives are special and we cannot afford to take them for granted.<\/p>

\u2026\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That nothing is in life certain and we need to live our lives with that reality firmly in mind.<\/p>

Or perhaps their learning\u2019s will be something else; something those of us who have not been through the situation cannot even imagine.<\/p>

What are YOU learning these days? It\u2019s too bad that sometimes we wait until something happens or it is too late, and have to learn the hard way. But it is only as we LEARN that we discover what we need to DO!<\/p>

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Articles: Emotions and Other Adjustments Life Learnings It is amazing how life can change in a moment. Ask anyone who has had a loss. One minute you think you have the world by the tail, the situation well in hand, life under control. And in a flash, everything has changed. There\u2019s a wedding planned for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5575,"parent":5111,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"\nLife Learnings - Grief Journey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/griefjourney.com\/article-library\/life-learnings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Life Learnings - Grief Journey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Articles: Emotions and Other Adjustments Life Learnings It is amazing how life can change in a moment. Ask anyone who has had a loss. One minute you think you have the world by the tail, the situation well in hand, life under control. And in a flash, everything has changed. 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