Life is a journey ...

Life is a journey at times sweet and pleasant at other times bitter and hard. We are all on this journey, forever changing, forever growing forever dying. During the course of this journey there are many destinations. But each is merely a short stop signifying a new beginning.

As we travel along the journey of life we see many destinations ahead. We think in terms of destinations, of arriving at the desired stop. "When I turn 18 "; "When I get married"; "When I graduate"; "When I retire". But as we travel we discover that these are not destinations at all. They are merely events, stations where we can change the direction.

The journey begins on our arrival from the womb - perhaps earlier. This is our first destination, and the start of the journey through babyhood. We are curious and helpless, overwhelmed by the newness of it all. Gradually we grow stronger and more familiar with the people around us. We begin to crawl, utter our first words, and take our first tentative steps.

The next destination on our journey through life is toddlerhood. We have acquired more tools to use in our exploration. Life is still a journey of discovery. Knowledge and language are awakened. We continue through to the next destination of childhood. Now we begin to learn our place as social beings. Friends become important. The journey still focuses on learning through play and through school.

There is a thin line that signifies the next destination. The teenage years are the beginning of a period of self-discovery, of defining out unique identity. During this part of the journey our peers and the outside world assume a much greater importance. We need to be cool - accepted and admired by our social groups. We experience the pressures of the wider society. We break away, rejecting our childhood naivety. We become risk takers, experimenting with life. This is the part of the journey where sexual awareness has begun. The next few years are dominated by the search for partners.

The journey continues to the next destination of adulthood. With school days over we enter the world of business and work. Suddenly we are able to earn our own money, make our own decisions. Perhaps we meet a life partner. We marry and live happily ever after.

The fairy tales make this part of the journey seem like the destination of life. Young people dream of marriage which will tell them that they have arrived. But arriving at this station is another turning point in our journey through life. We are now in a partnership and much is till to follow. We have become a family. This is the next destination and a start of a whole new adventure. As our babies grow and develop our journey through life continues.

We experience success and failure, joy and heartbreak. The journey never stops, not even for a moment. In the blink of an eye our children are beginning to strike out, forming their own relationships and having their own children. Suddenly we are grandparents. Yet still we do not feel old! Now the newlyweds look like children! How can they be ready to take on this journey alone?

Gradually we get older. We approach the final destination of life, the destination from which no-one returns.

Life is a journey taking us on a rocky ride. The destinations are merely new beginnings, a new phase of the journey. There will be highs and lows, happiness and grief. But as long as we live, the journey carries on.

"Life is a journey; enjoy the ride;

be kind along the way." -Lori Carangelo

Life is a precious gift

As I barbecued a large salmon one summer evening, my bare foot happened to stand upon a bee. The bee struck out, thrusting its stinger deep into my foot. My son helped to remove the stinger and brought me an anti-histamine.

Within moments my vision began to blur. I passed out, moved in and out of a state of semi-consciousness. Hatzolla (a Jewish voluntary medical emergency organisation) arrived with an ambulance within minutes. I breathed the oxygen as I travelled the short distance to the nearest hospital. The hospital was ready and waiting. I was rushed straight through to the emergency unit. Adrenaline was pumped into my body and electrodes and other monitoring devices were attached to my body. The attending doctor monitored my progress throughout the night. My blood pressure almost disappeared. By morning I had recovered enough to return home where I continued to rest.

I didn't realise quite how close to death I was. The doctor later told me that it was touch and go. She did not know that I would survive. Without Hatzolla and my special doctor (she is now my GP) I would not be here to tell the story.

For the next few weeks my response to the standard "how are you" became "I am alive".

Life is a precious gift. It is a gift that we only get to use once. We spend time worrying about trivialities, about wrongs that we have experienced, about money. But it is only when faced with death or the death of someone close that we realise just how much life means to us. Life is sacred.

Life tends to be taken for granted. Some people reject the sacred gift and take their own lives. Others kill so as to steal the victim's money.

A number of years ago the journey to the summit of Mount Everest caught the attention of the media. Inevitably, some members of the party did not return. Other members of the expedition were not particularly upset by this. They themselves had been close to death. They had to step over bodies while ascending the mountain. Injured people were left to die as any attempt at a rescue would have jeopardised the ascent. To these adventurers reaching the summit was more important than life itself. If they care so little about their own lives, why should they care about others?

By contrast, there are numerous stories about people risking their lives to save others. Some do this on a daily basis in the line of duty in the fire service, sea rescue, the police and many others. Stories of heroism emerged following the attack on the twin towers or the tsunami that swept through Thailand taking many lives. These heroes know that life is a sacred gift. These are people that will do anything to save a life.

The Talmud teaches us that "To save one life is as if you have saved the world." Not only have you save a single life, but all the possible lives that will follow from that life.

Each life is precious. Jewish law recognises this to the extent that saving life takes precedence over all other laws.

Life is sacred. Life is a precious gift.