Andrew Jobling

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting author and speaker, Andrew Jobling, and his lovely wife.  Besides being really nice people, it was clear in my discusison with them that Andrew is really dedicated and passionate about what he does and continuing his work to help people. He has been kind enough to share this great article with some reflections and lessons in life he learnt from his mother, which he has written about in most recent book about called “Dance Until It Rains”.  Thanks Andrew for this wonderful contribution.

Moments that take your breath away…

It was Hilary Cooper who said, ‘Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away’. What an incredibly powerful and insightful statement this is – one that many of us either don’t get or just take for granted. I certainly didn’t get it – that is until I learned this powerful lesson from, none other, than my mother!

It is our mother who looks after us and loves us unconditionally. She protects us, she clothes us, she feeds us and she would drop everything to be there for us at any time of the day or night. She gives and we take – well that is certainly my story anyway. She bailed me out of trouble, she looked after me when I was sick, she laughed at my jokes, she cried when I got hurt, she did for me and I took her for granted for many years. I loved her beyond words but I don’t know if she really knew or believed it.

When she was diagnosed with cancer in her early 50′s I didn’t accept it. I buried my head in the sand and just hoped that it would all go away and things would go back to normal. When I look back I had my head in the sand for a long long time – almost 17 years with nostrils full of sand!! In fact right up until 2 months before she died …

We were spending some time together in Queensland and found ourselves talking about her life and her journey. For days we talked, we laughed, we cried, we loved, and then an amazing thing happened: I saw my mum in a completely different light. She was no longer my mum — the giver, the carer and the protector. Instead, I came to know her as a vulnerable child, an uncertain adolescent, a searching adult, a creative being and someone, like all of us, wanting to feel important, to love and be loved and just be happy. I am a changed person as a result.

My mother was only 69 when she died and at the time I was devastated. She was my rock and I was a wreck for many months and found even the most simplest of tasks a challenge. It just didn’t seem fair – she was too young, she had lots left to give and to do, places to go and people to meet. Why her, it wasn’t fair! I found it hard to understand the reasons. But over time I slowly picked myself up and dusted myself off and started moving forward again. I examined her life, her cancer journey and I wrote a book about her experiences and the lessons I gained from them … in the process and without even noticing it I was healed! How can this be? How can one go from absolutey emotionally crippled one moment to healed the next? The secret lay in my awareness, understanding and acceptance of the reason why we are put on this planet.

Sue Jobling was put on this planet to leave a legacy that will transcend generations. To inspire all of us to understand that success and significance in life is not about how long we are upright and breathing, but far more about what we do with the time we are given. It wasn’t until my mum was diagnosed with secondary cancer of the liver that she really began living! She started to think about herself and the meaning of her own life. She started to work on and gain inner peace. She understood that she didn’t have to always be doing for others to be a wonderful person. She found happiness in nature – the grace of a pelican and the waves rolling gently onto the shore. She found contentment in being in a moment with no-one but herself and the satisfaction in knowing who she was.

Sure she had to overcome challenges and face adversity, like we all do, but she did so with a positive outlook and a gratitude for the blessings that she had in her life. She did things she never would have done if not challenged with cancer. She travelled, she shared, she helped & supported, she laughed, she loved and she lived! She made peace with herself and then watched with amazement how relationships around her strengthened and grew to a new level.

She died too young – but she left a message for me and everyone that it is in the moment that we live and it is the joy we can find in every moment that will define meaning in a world that seems to have gone crazy. When we find peace within, our lives change for the better – we will then, even without knowing it, inspire others to do the same and  the world will become a happier place. It was my mother Sue jobling who taught me that ‘life is not measured by how many breaths I take but by the moments that take my breath away’.

Thanks mum!

About Andrew Jobling

Andrew Jobling is an in demand speaker and the best selling author of ‘Eat Chocolate, Drink Alcohol and be Lean & Healthy’, ‘Simply Strength’ and his newly released book about his mother ‘Dance Until it Rains’. Visit Andrew at www.andrewjobling.com.au