What is Life?

I have been encouraged by many to start blogging about my journey in life.  I hate posting my life out there for all to see but I feel that if I write about it, I will feel better about it and I may be able to help someone else in their journey to life.  For those who know me on a personal basis knows that the past 2 years have been a crazy rollercoaster for me.  Dealing with my son who has several medical conditions and my husbands year long deployement. 

The question I have been asking myself lately is "what is life"? 

Websters defines it as
1.  "the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body"

So with this definition, life is a quality that determines a vital being from a dead body.  So by this definition I have life because I'm not dead and I'm a vital and functional being.  It's interesting to me that it says vital and functioning.  I could go on a whole nother tangent with that phrase.  I'll save that for another post. 

2.  "the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual "

So the experiences I go through whether good or bad makes up my life.  I get that.

3.  "a way or manner of living"

So this one gets me.  A way of living.  Some days I don't feel like I'm living at all.  I feel like I'm dead on the inside and find myself on autopilot not sure where I'm going next. 

I say all this, because I'm on the journey to find "life"  Don't get me wrong, I love what I have and by no means regret anything I have done.  But I want to find what life is really about and be able to share that life with my children and grandchildren.

So I'm interested to know, what is "life" to you?  What drives you to keep going?  What things do you do that helps you stay grounded?