Your Life is Unique and Essential to the Whole

Unique Thumbprint

Recently I attended a ministers meeting at Cedarbrook Lodge in the Seattle area. In the hallway was an interesting art piece, a thumbprint created with the words or qualities that the artist valued. These values were: fair, caring, human, dynamic,and driven. As you can see by the photo, he person taking the picture is in the center of the art. What do you value? Who do you think you are?


Most of us are still in shock with the death of the great comedian and creative genius, Robin Williams. We try to understand how someone who made so many millions of people laugh could not feel that joy himself. We grieve  and we try to understand what we can do spiritually to move through our shock, grief and bewilderment to the experience of acceptance and understanding.

What I am left with is the need to let people know how much we appreciate and love them while we are alive. I am also contemplating the  value of each person's life and how we often mask the pain we are feeling with a brave  face or escape it though some substance such as alcohol or drugs.

What would happen if we recognized that the biggest gifts we have to give, come from our uniqueness?  It is easy to see that no one will replace Robin Williams, but it is just as true that no one can replace any one of us. No one can replace you! You are the magnificence of life and your being is essential to life's unfolding.

Your life is unique and essential to the whole.