"Human beings cannot endure emptiness and desolation, they will fill the vacuum by creating a new focus of meaning," Karen Armstrong.
It is my experience that we can find meaning with a terminal illness too. Dwane and I discussed his diagnosis when we first heard it at Mayo Clinic, and we decided to live now fully. We decided to take advantage of the fact that we know he is dying, and do the things we have always wanted to do. Right now.
I also find meaning by knowing that how I respond to his illness is a spiritual path for me. I have seen many people live with someone with dementia, and I can find things from their examples that I do and do not want to replicate. It is fun for me to find my own path in this process, and it is a path of dignity and graciousness. I believe that how we show up in situations like this says a lot about the level of character we have developed, and it is an opportunity to develop our capacity as humans more fully.
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