The Month That Was…

As we come to the end of May, I find myself reflecting deeply and asking, What a month this has been.

During the course of this month, six people I knew transitioned from this life. Each passing has left an indelible mark on my thoughts and reflections. As the weeks unfolded, I found myself wrestling with more questions than answers about what life is truly about.

In fact, as I sit writing these words, a colleague has just sent me a message informing me of his father's passing. Another loss. Another family grieving. Another reminder of the fragility of life.

These experiences have stirred memories of the COVID-19 pandemic, when numbers on news reports gradually became names—friends, colleagues, neighbours, and loved ones whose lives were suddenly gone. Loss became personal.

Yet, despite it all, life continues.

Life has a way of moving forward, whether we feel ready or not. And so I find myself pondering difficult questions: How does one move forward after loss? How does one continue to function at one's best while carrying the weight of grief? How do we pursue dreams, goals, and aspirations while knowing that our days are finite?

I take comfort in the belief that our lives are meant to be lived with purpose and hope. We were created not merely to exist, but to contribute—to leave the world a little better than we found it, to make a positive difference in the lives of others. There is something profoundly inspiring and empowering in that thought.

As I look back on May 2026—the month that was—I carry with me lessons of hope, resilience, and optimism.

Throughout the May month, I reflected often on the themes of Awareness, Alignment, and Intentional Action.

The losses I witnessed heightened my awareness that life is precious and that our existence must have meaning. They reminded me that time is a gift, not a guarantee.

This awareness calls for alignment. When we align ourselves with our deepest values, convictions, and purpose, we are better able to live authentically and intentionally. We become less distracted by what is urgent and more focused on what is important.

And from that place of alignment comes intentional action—the daily choices that move us toward becoming who we were created to be.

May 2026 was indeed a month of reflection, questioning, and learning.

How did you experience May 2026? 

What lessons did the month leave with you?

What are you carrying forward into the next season?

As we begin June, we arrive at the halfway point of the year—a natural moment to pause, reflect, and reset. What do you have planned for the month ahead? What intentions will guide your next chapter?

Amid all these reflections, one practice has become increasingly meaningful to me: gratitude.

I have come to appreciate gratitude not as a denial of pain, but as a way of carrying on and moving forward. Even in a month marked by multiple losses, there remains something for which we can be thankful. Gratitude allows us to acknowledge both sorrow and blessing, loss and hope, grief and possibility.

Perhaps, as we step into a new month, this can become our daily mantra:

"I am grateful, even for the month that was."

May we move into June with grateful hearts, renewed purpose, and the courage to live each day with continued awareness, alignment, and intentional action.