It is, sometimes, surreal and cruel madness,
this life we live of birth to death. I know it is for lessons and
growth that we must pass through the trauma of getting grown, and then breaking down, but it is still madness.
I watched my friend prepare to bury her Mom
today. A large crowd filled the church and it was obviously a religious
experience for almost all present from the Amen's that resounded at times in
response to the pastor who led most of the service. And, understanding the pain and suffering her Mom endured on many levels
in her life, it was indeed - a positive change - if that even makes any sense in
some sordid and macabre dimension, in which I am never too
comfortable.
Three days prior, I watched other friends as they
circled around the casket of their 19 year old granddaughter...their strained expressions, wet cheeks, the palpable pain resonating throughout the air we all shared against the cold wind that blew around us on a January afternoon.
Waiting in the parking lot for my friends
to arrive for a meal of remembrance, I watched one of the swings on the playground near the
building, moving rhythmically, to and fro in the wind, though the other 2 swings stood stock
still. I wondered if this 19 year old child might be resting, wondering,
good-bying...on her journey between here and there. As I ate the food, participated in a ritual so
part of living and breathing and all that that represents, I felt numb
and out of place, and again - surreal.
Sometimes, as I walk my life-road, the trail is not so clear, some moments - not so easy, the climb - more treacherous, slippery, prone to lack of clarity, hazy at best. This week led me through some foggy miles. I drifted back 12 years, when I too, watched my Mommy claw her way through her last 24 hrs
on this planet.
Our individual moments, ingredients in a worldly soup of dark and light,
high and low, are the sweet and bitter morsels we chew on...as we walk
alone, each of us, on our own Trails of Nature.
But always...Nature prevails.
No moment so defining in life as death. With that moment, everything else in life becomes non-existent, except your belief and faith. Beyond that, no thing you did or would have done is held against you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jan, for visiting and for your comment.
DeleteDanielle
The hardest lesson in life is the discovery that no matter how much we wish it, there is no way we can soften or remove the pain that comes with the loss of a beloved family member or friend. TRUE death is the final stop on the road of life, yet we are never prepared for miles stones that are marked along the way by the loss of someone dear to us. Sometimes I wonder why they and not I was chosen to have such a short road. Always, it seems, the most loving and caring have been given the shorter road.BUT, maybe that is the whole point, to show each of us what we should have learned or if we were lucky did learn from this fellow traveling teacher in our life. The sadness and pain eventually soften however, the empty space where they stood never seems toclose or fill in. Another lesson I guess to value everyone and everything because once gone they can never be replaced.The best we can for is try and comfort those drowning in sorrow from loss. Try to support them as this latest lesson of life affects them so painfully. The rose garden of life comes with thorns .... and we sometimes get pricked. But that too is the way nature prevails.
ReplyDeleteSo true! Nature's 'prevalence' IS the yin/yang of life. The thorns give birth and enjoyment to peace; rain to sunshine, thunder to quiet.
DeleteAnd yes - every precious moment...is the 'perfection' of life.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment; thank you for stopping by.
Danielle
I just watched this again. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThank you. We appreciate you stopping by!
ReplyDeleteDanielle
You are so welcome, Oris. As I wrote this post, some of my thoughts reached out to you...
ReplyDeleteTo live in each and every 'perfect' moment...is the only true life we live. There are a gazillion moments; and yet...somehow, only a 'few'....
Danielle