Holding on, letting go

    In Very Grateful, the memoir I wrote about my mom and me during the last two years of her life, I talked about ‘holding on’ and ‘letting go.’I held on to her and then slowly let her go; she held on to life and then slowly let go. Since her death almost seven years ago, I continue to hold on to all that she was to me and to everyone who knew her.
     Life is full of good things to holding onto, as well as bad ones. The challenge is to know which is which and then to muster the courage either to let goor hold on.
     I try to hold onto anything I’m grateful for. Today I am holding onto this beautiful day, the book I’m reading, my family and friends, my church, and family time in Vermont in a few weeks.
     I try to let go of anything that gives me worry that is beyond my control. Today, for example, I am letting go of the stressful news, while at the same time considering how I can contribute to making a positive change.

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