The Secret - A Time To Remember

It was early in the evening when the phone call came.
Reaching over, I grabbed the phone and was greeted by
my cousin who lives in New York City. There was a deep
sadness in her voice as she told me that she personally
wanted to call me and invite me to the 5-year memorial
service she'd be having for her two children.

Although I have spoken with this cousin a number of
times since that tragic day, September 11th, five years
ago, it had been about 30 years since I last saw her.
My work and other time constraints made it highly
unlikely that I would be able to attend the event. And,
so, I told her that I wasn't sure that I could come,
but I'd try.

After the phone call, I dismissed the matter with the
thought that I'd send a card with beautiful words of
comfort and hope. As days went on, my thoughts were
absorbed with other things such as my writing, my
websites, my business associates, my books, my friends,
my children ....

My children? Yes, many of us who have children always
think about them and trust that they do well. Mine were
doing fine, but I still worried a bit. Someone once
told me in jest that the first 40 years of raising
children are the hardest.

Here I was, thinking of my children who were happy and
successful whereas my cousin would never see her only
two children on this Earth again. Her daughter and son
were both in their twenties and were at work at the
World Trade Center when the planes struck. What a
dreadful affair that must have been for their
mother.

And so, I decided to attend the memorial service. It
was one of the best things I ever could have done. Just
being there with friends and family members I hadn't
seen in years served as a reminder to me of what was
important in life.

Though nothing could bring back my cousin's children,
my presence and that of others brought a small degree
of comfort and hope and made it possible for her to
"keep on keeping on." I would have been selfish indeed,
had I let my work and other commitments prevented me
from making that trip.

We may not usually think that we have an effect on the
lives of others, but we would be amazed at how wrong we
could be. We do not need to make great contributions to
the world -- just small, consistent ones to those whose
lives we touch. We could help so many people by just
taking the time to listen to them, comfort them or just
bring them hope.

I am glad that I visited my cousin. I gained so much by
being there. I will never be able to understand exactly
how she feels. Nobody could really understand exactly
how someone else feels, but we could get a general
idea. If we are understanding and compassionate, we
will not only feel better about ourselves, but we may
have a tremendous, beneficial effect on those whose
lives we touch.

Lecturer, entrepreneur and MBA business consultant, John Harricharan is the author of the award-winning book, "When You Can Walk on Water, Take the Boat." For more information, visit: http://www.spiritual-simplicity.com http://www.vish-writer.com