THE SEARCH FOR PEACE
Little Mitch was tucked in for the night. We had just celebrated an early birthday, at his request and he was tired and in need of rest. No sooner had he closed his eyes than Natalie softly kissed him on the cheek, one more time. Death was coming fast and we had reached a time when we didn’t know if any moment would be our last moment.
“If I search for meaning first, peace and understanding follow. If I search for peace without meaning, what I find is fleeting and hollow.”
In the shadow of her kiss was baby Marlie, anxious to cuddle and keep Mitch company as he slept. Sensing something was wrong, Mitch had become afraid of the dark so he asked his mom to keep the light outside his room on and his door opened a crack. A little light and his puppy was all he needed.
Though we were going through hell at the time, we also experienced moments of supernal peace. As death came closer, so did Heaven and unseen angels – bearing up our broken souls. Several months prior, I could feel the sun setting on Mitchell’s life … and though there was a great sorrow in my heart, there was a certain beauty and peace, too. A peace that doesn’t come from this place. It is as real as anything I know – and it tells me there is more to life than my eyes behold.
In my experience, the search for peace is coupled with the search for meaning. If I search for meaning first, peace and understanding follow. If I search for peace without meaning, what I find is fleeting and hollow.