Like many people around the world, I was saddened by the passing of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon this week.  In times like these, we are reminded of the impermanence of all earthly things – especially our own fragile lives.  We are also reminded that each of us leaves behind a legacy, and it’s up to us to decide what that legacy will be.  What do we want to leave on this earth – and on the hearts of others – when we’re gone?  What seeds will we plant while we’re here that will bloom and grow for future generations?  For me, I hope the seeds that I plant will grow more love and peace in the world.  I hope that I can serve in some small way to remind people that we are all connected, that we are all parts of a greater whole.  I hope that my words and my actions will help stop the cycle of violence and fear and hate, so that rather than being torn apart, we can begin to stitch ourselves together by our common threads – by our love and our hope and our humanity.

That is my hope.  What is yours?

(current news stories Flick photostream, creative commons)