Seven Lives Not Fully Lived

Seven children taken in a tragic fire. Ahmad 14, Rola 12,Mohamad 9,Ola 8, Hola 3, Rana 2 and Abdullah 3 months. One mother left to grieve and a father fighting for his own life. A community , province and country mourning . Seven lives not fully lived. The pictures and the thoughts of those precious children breaks my heart . To truly grasp the loss of each young life is overwhelming. I ponder on the phrase 'a life well lived'. I attended two funerals this week of parents of friends. When an elderly person dies we tend to take comfort in those words. It is all any of us can hope for; a life well lived. The truth is of course that lives vary in duration. We know that as deeply as we know our own lives will end.I don't know how Kawthar Barho will find her way. I don't know what the future holds for Ebraheim Barho. I know the pain of losing a child and can not even fathom multiplying that by seven.I know too that somehow we carry on. A life well lived is not limited to an age, a finish line . Each life no matter how long matters and leaves something behind. Each of these seven children touched others in their young lives. A smile, a kind word, a friendship . The photographs show vibrant beautiful faces, vast potential and we mourn the tragic end of those precious lives and the promise those young lives held. Each day we are given is ours to treasure. Lives long lived or cut short are lives well lived and a miracle. Our time is limited, a small drop in the vastness of humanity. Let us be kind, be present, be thankful and live in amazement at our existence. Let us all be the best we can be and leave behind something of value.