Happiness and love are the qualities which most of us will remember most warmly in the final analysis. Perhaps some reflections about patterns are in order. To first distinguish the patterns underlying our lives, we must be willing to open the flood-gates of our memories. To recall the past honestly, without or revision, can give us a sense of power unlike anything else. To know oneself and accept oneself, warts, foibles, and eccentricities included, is the path to true inner peace.
Most people have little time to reflect upon their lives.
In this way, a major illness can cause one to attain a higher state of consciousness. When circumstance demand that one slow down and reflect upon the past, a much more valuable perspective may be gained.