Life. Death. Beginnings. Endings. They are the same and they are not.

As I listen to the Carolina wrens singing loudly and proudly, wooing and wowing their prospective mates, preparing to breed and nest and raise a new generation of young ones, I smile. Life goes on. At the same time, I am saddened by the death of one friend and the cancer diagnosis of another. These moments give me pause and cry out for reflection and clarity, grief and compassion, acknowledgment of our very real impermanence and gratitude.

I feel deeply for my friends and their families and understand the pain of loss that comes with illness and death. Life is short. Things change, sometimes quickly. It feels like the universe is shifting. Yet, the sun will rise again tomorrow. The wrens will sing. I will breathe in and out and once again embrace the opportunities that a new day brings.

This is a good time to be grateful for what is, for what we have, for what we’ve seen and done and been, but also to focus on this one moment and make it the most precious, love-filled, magical moment of all. This is a time to remember that we only have right now, to share our best selves with the world.

Embrace the fear, the sadness, the loss, the change. Acknowledge it. Let it go.

Embrace the joy, the life, the magic of right now. In this moment, this is all there is.

Life goes on. The wrens are still singing.