Bury me standing. What a request! In some ancient Indian cultures, their elite warriors were buried standing up. In essence, even while gone from this life, they were saying, “I’m ready for more!” and “I’m ready to do whatever it takes to finish my mission.”
More than a particular burial position upon our death, this is really a motto for how we can live. Jeanne said in that message, “The world will never be changed by mildly interested people. The world will be changed by “Bury Me Standing” people.”
In essence, it means that we need to live for a cause that is greater than ourselves. In this modern world of ours, we are bombarded by messages designed for “us” and what folks think we need. Television commercials, magazine ads, tv shows, movies, etc. So much of it is focused on “me” often at the expense of “you,” to build oneself up at the expense of others. And when this happens, we end up with a world of people whose sole focus in life is themselves.
This motto of “Bury me standing” is about living for something greater than ourselves, something that perhaps we can’t even finish in our lifetimes, but that we can begin, add to or help keep going. That thing or cause that we devote our existence to, unconditionally, freely, for the sole purpose of giving to others.
We must ask ourselves, “What are we living for?” For if we aren’t living for something greater than ourselves, for standing up for what we believe in, we run the risk of falling for anything and contributing nothing.
As parents of children, and especially children with special needs, we have automatically been given a cause that is bigger than ourselves—our children. For most, if not all of us, not a day goes by that we are not thinking of our children’s needs, no matter how old those children may be.
As warriors of parenting, we must be ready to do battle always, be ready for the next round, despite exhaustion, illness, or just plain not wanting to. With my children, I always try to be prepared for what’s around the corner, what’s next, what’s up, so as not to be surprised and caught off guard.
It’s exhausting. We all feel it. And after another particularly exhausting or emotionally draining day, we go to sleep and wake up—to do it all over again.
We do it, though, because this is a battle. A battle for their lives, for their minds, for their spirits, for their beings. We do it because, next to God, no one loves them like we do and no one wants what’s best for them like us.
So I encourage you today to not give up! Don’t give in! Keep doing battle! Under no circumstances should you surrender, no matter the difficulty. Despite what they may tell you, your children need you.
They need you to be their safety net, their advocate, their structure provider, their consequence giver, their shoulder to cry on, their ear to listen. They need you to love them like no other can and ever will, and to like them, too. To believe in them when no one else does and to encourage them when no one else will. They need you.
And while we may say “Bury me standing” because our work here is not done, I encourage you to live today as if the world is depending on you and your contribution to it. The truth is, it just may be.
Your job as a parent of a special needs child is so very important. And while we live for our children in so many ways, we do need to take care of ourselves also. If I can come alongside you and encourage you on your parenting journey, please feel free to contact me for a free inquiry session and to see how life coaching can benefit you. I look forward to hearing from you!