The hardest concept we struggle with in life is: Nothing is forever. Deep inside us lies the need and the want to feel secure. We want things to be a certain way but the truth of the matter is, life just is. Life is full of changes, yet we seek reassurance from others that things will last for a long time.

We spend our days trying to please those we love. Love feels good and we are validated when others see us as being important and of value to them. We hang on to jobs we enjoy, even though it would be better for us to move on to new challenges and discover new areas for growth. We buy homes and put a lot of ourselves into them. We enjoy, peace, security, and comfort there. We find ourselves fighting to stay in them and we tell ourselves we will never leave.

We make friends that we know will last forever, only to find in the end that people move, die, or events occur that cause relationships to change. Marriages end regardless of the efforts we take to save them. We have children, develop close bonds with them, and believe we will have them in our lives for many years. But children grow up, separate from us, and move away to establish families and careers.

When we are young, we believe our bodies will stay strong and healthy. Our bodies age, our energy wanes, and our movements are slower. Accidents happen, and losses  occur. Our sense of control changes. There are times when others make decisions for us, not always in our best interests.

Over the years, we come to realize that relationships and things are temporary. In old age, we see this more clearly. We see our friends die, and our dreams disappear. We ready ourselves for death in the time we have left. We struggle with what comes after death. Our faith leads us to believe that God waits for us on the other side, and our loved ones wait for us as well. Yet, we struggle with what is temporary and what is permanent. What saves us is our hope and faith, for inside us all, we still believe some things last forever. 

Yu/stan/kema