Below is an e-mail from my brother Douglas Jablonski after he was diagnosed with a terminal cancer. My brother passed over in December 2005. My brother viewed all of his experiences as miraculous events that lead us closer to our true loving and spiritual selves. His words, courage and faith continue to serve as an inspiration to all...
Thanks bro,
Didn't get a chance to tell you how much you mean to me and how much I love you. I'm always too busy to stop and think - yet I would go to a hundred websites to find info on a big screen TV.
My circumstances could be viewed as a curse but I choose to look at them as a blessing. God has given me a chance to see what truly matters and is important to me. If I died in my sleep or was killed in an accident like those that have happened to my family in the past several years, I would not be able to tell the special people in my life how much they mean to me and how special and unique they really are. I admire the way you handle situations beyond your control. The serenity prayer says it best:
"God grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
The courage to change the things I can.
And the wisdom to know the difference."
I am soooo thankful for the opportunities in my life time. Grateful for the people I have met, those I have loved and those that I might have made a small difference in their lives.
The power of faith is so strong. God has granted me a peace and calmness that I have never before experienced in my life. He helps me realize that there are certain things that He is more well equipped to handle.
It's funny we all seek this inner peace and serenity but we are so busy searching and looking under every rock and closet that we do not see it right in front of us. True fulfillment and peace is in the faces and smiles of those we love. It is in those faces that we see everyday, whether it be our wife, husband, kids, parents, brothers, sisters, etc. or just a woman in front of us in the grocery line.
How truly lucky and blessed we are. We are all terminal but some of us are blessed enough to realize it and live each day to it fullest, cherishing everything, even life's little annoyances. Perspective on life is so important, we can hurry through the day anxious and afraid or embrace it and seize the moment. I chose the latter and hope you do too.
Well I start to get carried away but the point is every day, hour, minute, second is a time to be treasured. Whether its the thrill of your son's first home run, to your daughter graduating from Med school, even to the time your doctor tells you have a tumor in your body. All of these things can be viewed from the point of a blessing or a curse to somewhere in between. All offer their own opportunities for enlightenment and reflection. All are part of God's wonderful plan for each and every one of us.
Do not dwell on the sorrow but on the happiness and good that comes out of things.
We all have a choice in this world, if we are lucky to wake up tomorrow we can say "Good God, Morning" with a tinge of regret ... or "Good Morning God" with hope and faith that we have another wonderful opportunity to make a small difference in someone's life!
Love and faith, Doug
