--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I examined my own life, I realized…" description: "\"“When I examined my own life, I realized that I had been standing at the foot of my mother's casket for 35 years, grieving her loss in so many ways in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/636/nathaniel-j-williams-190792_daily-life_when-i-examined-my-own-life-i-realized-t_420544.jpg" --- # When I examined my own life, I realized that I had been… ![“When I examined my own life, I realized that I had been standing at the foot of my mother's casket for 35 years, grieving her loss in so many ways in my daily life. I needed to reframe this challenging life event," admits Dr. Williams. "I reframed it to view my life as a train ride upon which my…” quote by Nathaniel J. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/636/nathaniel-j-williams-190792_daily-life_when-i-examined-my-own-life-i-realized-t_420544.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/636/nathaniel-j-williams-190792_daily-life_when-i-examined-my-own-life-i-realized-t_420544.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/636/nathaniel-j-williams-190792_daily-life_when-i-examined-my-own-life-i-realized-t_420544.jpg) > ““When I examined my own life, I realized that I had been standing at the foot of my mother's casket for 35 years, grieving her loss in so many ways in my daily life. I needed to reframe this challenging life event," admits Dr. Williams. "I reframed it to view my life as a train ride upon which my mother is with me. I hope I am taking her to places that surprise her and places she envisioned her children would go. Today she lives with me in a positive way.”” [Nathaniel J. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-j-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reframing grief as a shared journey with a mother transforms loss into positive companionship. **In simple terms:** Viewing grief as a shared journey brings positivity. Key Takeaway Reframe loss into growth. Themes Grief Reframing Family Healing Perspective Companionship Mood hopeful introspective Type therapeutic inspirational When to use this quote - Counseling - Writing memoirs - Family rituals - Personal reflection Key Concepts Psychology Thanology Narrative Therapy Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor loss while moving forward? - What narratives help transform grief? A Different Perspective Reframing may not ease all pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Daily life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daily-life/) [Dr Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dr-williams-3728956/) [Examined life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/examined-life/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mother Casket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-casket-551747/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Reframed View](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reframed-view-3728957/) [Self help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-help/) [Williams Reframed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/williams-reframed-3728955/) ## Related quotes > [“From the short story (and anthology containing it) DONNY DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE : Donny acted like he didn’t hear me. “You can’t send…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-goldman/from-the-short-story-and-anthology-containing-it-donny-doesn-t-live/) [Ken Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-goldman/) > [“There are all these things that you never know whether they're features or bugs- in a company or organization, or even in a personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/there-are-all-these-things-that-you-never-know-whether-they-re/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“We all know that the un-examined life is not worth living (socrates). But if all you are doing is examining, you are not living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-leipzig/we-all-know-that-the-un-examined-life-is-not-worth-living-socrates/) [Adam Leipzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-leipzig/) > [The ancient Greeks were the first ones to say an unexamined life is not worth living. They don't tell you of course what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-quinn/the-ancient-greeks-were-the-first-ones-to-say-an-unexamined-life-is/) [Colin Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-quinn/) > [“How, I wondered, can we wake up for this amazing journey that is so quickly ended? How can we experience the live performance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-gonzales/how-i-wondered-can-we-wake-up-for-this-amazing-journey-that-is-so/) [Laurence Gonzales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-gonzales/) > [“Thurough examination will do the healthy no harm, and it may bless the sick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/thurough-examination-will-do-the-healthy-no-harm-and-it-may-bless-the/) [Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) > [It's important to have an examined life - but it's a fine line between having an examined life and being hypercritical of oneself. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-nettles/it-s-important-to-have-an-examined-life-but-it-s-a-fine-line-between/) [Jennifer Nettles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-nettles/) > [I have a sneaking suspicion that leading an examined life and being really tan aren't consistent with one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/i-have-a-sneaking-suspicion-that-leading-an-examined-life-and-being/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [Emerson, I am trying to live, as you said we must, the examined life. But there are days I wish there was less in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/emerson-i-am-trying-to-live-as-you-said-we-must-the-examined-life-but/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [It takes tremendous discipline, takes tremendous courage, to think for yourself, to examine yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/it-takes-tremendous-discipline-takes-tremendous-courage-to-think-for/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Contemporary philosophy illustrates Hegel's dictum that philosophy is its own time apprehended in thought, for in our age philosophy yields to the objectifying technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-phillip-verene/contemporary-philosophy-illustrates-hegel-s-dictum-that-philosophy-is/) [Donald Phillip Verene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-phillip-verene/) > [“Taking a lot of selfies doesn’t mean you live an examined life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-barreca/taking-a-lot-of-selfies-doesn-t-mean-you-live-an-examined-life/) [Gina Barreca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-barreca/) > [“If truth is what you seek, then the examined life will only take you on a long ride to the limits of solitude and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/if-truth-is-what-you-seek-then-the-examined-life-will-only-take-you/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-unexamined-life-is-not-worth-living-for-a-human-being/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Courage is the enabling virtue for any philosopher - for any human being, I think, in the end. Courage to think, courage to love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/courage-is-the-enabling-virtue-for-any-philosopher-for-any-human/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More Daily life quotes > [Daily life is both the subject and environment of the work I am making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-henrot/daily-life-is-both-the-subject-and-environment-of-the-work-i-am-making/) [Camille Henrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-henrot/) > [I believe that simple, consistent shifts in our thinking and actions can lead to the miraculous in all aspects of our daily lives, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/i-believe-that-simple-consistent-shifts-in-our-thinking-and-actions/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [Who can really be faithful in great things if he has not learned to be faithful in the things of daily life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/who-can-really-be-faithful-in-great-things-if-he-has-not-learned-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“I should say that it was only for me that Marxism seemed over. Surely, I would tell G. at least once a week, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/i-should-say-that-it-was-only-for-me-that-marxism-seemed-over-surely/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [I want to show that drama doesn't lie only in blood and destroyed buildings but in daily life, in ordinary human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/i-want-to-show-that-drama-doesn-t-lie-only-in-blood-and-destroyed/) [Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/) > [“There is no randomness about your life. Here and Now comprise the coordinates of your daily life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-young/there-is-no-randomness-about-your-life-here-and-now-comprise-the/) [Sarah Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-young/) > [Having an eating disorder doesn't show ‘strength.’ Strength is when are able to overcome your demons after being sick and tired for so long.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/having-an-eating-disorder-doesn-t-show-strength-strength-is-when-are/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [ The \[Tumor Treating Fields\] patients can undergo all the activities of their daily life. There's none of the tiredness. There's none of what is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-doyle/the-tumor-treating-fields-patients-can-undergo-all-the-activities-of/) [William Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-doyle/) > [You do research into specific occupations of the character, with specific behaviorisms that their daily life might give them. You do as much research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-burnet/you-do-research-into-specific-occupations-of-the-character-with/) [Guy Burnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-burnet/) > [“Each day I will accomplish one thing on my to list.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/each-day-i-will-accomplish-one-thing-on-my-to-list/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“To believe that God can reach us and bless us in the ordinary junctures of daily life is the stuff of prayer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/to-believe-that-god-can-reach-us-and-bless-us-in-the-ordinary/) [Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/) > [People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil—soil consecrated in the blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/people-of-the-philippines-i-have-returned-by-the-grace-of-almighty/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [Don't try to prove yourself the extra mile, your daily Life is enough to do that for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/don-t-try-to-prove-yourself-the-extra-mile-your-daily-life-is-enough/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [If you ask ... the man in the street ... the human significance of mathematics, the answer of the world will be, that mathematics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassius-jackson-keyser/if-you-ask-the-man-in-the-street-the-human-significance-of/) [Cassius Jackson Keyser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassius-jackson-keyser/) > [As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/as-you-take-the-normal-opportunities-of-your-daily-life-and-create/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) [Browse all 1,299 Daily life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daily-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When I examined my own life, I realized that I had been standing at the foot of my mother's casket for 35 years, grieving her loss in so many ways in my daily life. I needed to reframe this challenging life event,\" admits Dr. Williams. \"I reframed it to view my life as a train ride upon which my mother is with me. I hope I am taking her to places that surprise her and places she envisioned her children would go. Today she lives with me in a positive way.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathaniel J. 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