Book 188 - A Year of Magical Learning

Reflection Title: Living for 2 - My Purpose Driven Life

Book – The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? By Rick Warren

Book Description:

Before you were born, God already planned your life. God longs for you to discover the life he uniquely created you to live--here on earth, and forever in eternity. Let The Purpose Driven Life show you how. The Purpose Driven Life is far more than just a book; it's the road map for your spiritual journey. A journey that will transform your life.

Designed to be read in 42 days, each chapter provides a daily meditation and practical steps to help you discover and live out your purpose, starting with exploring three of life's most pressing questions:

· The Question of Existence: Why am I alive?

· The Question of Significance: Does my life matter?

· The Question of Purpose: What on earth am I here for?

Reflection:

The Year of Magical Learning began in earnest on April 22cd, 2020. This was the day that my daughter passed away at the hospital in her mother’s arms after only 39 days in this world at around 5am in the morning. When we got home, we passed out from exhaustion after all that we had been through together as a family in the previous few days. When I awoke, I felt nothing.

My world was shattered. I remember staring blankly at the TV in our room for what felt like hours before I finally snapped out of it when I heard a voice in my head say, what would Emilia do? I knew exactly what that meant…we fight! I had just watched Emilia fight trial after trial and unfathomable odds for 39 days for a chance at life in this world. With the help of Emilia’s spirit and example of how she lived her life, I snapped out of it! I came back to reality, got out of bed and cleaned up for the day, forced myself to eat and made some food for my wife in hopes she would do the same.

From that moment on, I knew what I was here on this Earth to do. I was here to pick up where Emilia left off and continue the fight for a chance at Life! I had a duty to share her story with the world and to do my best to honor her life every single day by demonstrating through my actions how she showed me to live a life of values and purpose. I didn’t know how I would do that, but I knew that is what I had to do.

Over time, that feeling has slowly been refined into words and actions through this Year of Magical Learning adventure with my daughter. Together, we are exploring this world and learning what it means to live a life of values and purpose. These days, that has all combined together into something I like to call Living for 2.

Living for 2 is my purpose in this world. This is my answer to the author’s question, What on Earth Am I Here For?

I didn’t plan this, but it is fitting that somehow The Purpose Driven Life, is the last remaining book that I read in the 15 months after my daughter passed away until I began writing the daily reflections for this project. I began this project after I had already read about 100 books after Emilia had passed away as we were striving to live for 2 on our new life together. When I made the decision to start writing these reflections to turn them into a book to share, I made a list of all the books I had already read since Emilia had passed away, and Bird by Bird began to cross them off the list each day.

I didn’t have any order I followed. When I got to my keyboard in the morning, I would pick a book off the list and start writing my reflection. The days after finishing a new book, I would complete that reflection and then go back to the list until I finished my next new book. It has been 9 months of writing a reflection every morning (Mon-Fri) as of this writing. Of course, it would have to be The Purpose Driven Life that ends this chapter of the story. The title alone says it all and is really what this whole thing is about.

As I’ve slowly been getting closer and closer to finishing that original list over the past few weeks, a lot of emotions have begun to filter to the surface. I honestly can’t believe I finished it for starters. I didn’t think it was possible when I began. I’m also a little terrified looking down the mountain and seeing how high up Emilia and I have gotten Living for 2 the past few years. At the same time, I’ve never felt more proud or excited for the future in my life.

I’ve always been a little terrified of heights, but for some reason, climbing on purpose shields me from that terrifyingly scary feeling I would get if I looked down that would have made me want to turn back. Simultaneously, this purpose keeps me locked in the moment and prevents me from looking up and getting lost in my dreams.

I still don’t know where we are going…but maybe that is the point?

The only thing I do know is that I’m enjoying life with my daughter and fulfilling my promise to her, and that is all that matters to me at the end of each day. I’m willing to climb any mountain as long as she is with me and we are doing it together.

On with the adventure!

Question: What’s your purpose?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? By Rick Warren