Spirit Speak

Our beloved friend Missy passed to the other side this evening. She is 14 years old and could chase a green tennis ball endlessly. At the end she was surrounded by those she loved the most and wrapped in a warm blanket and even warmer love. She insisted that she would breathe her last breath by herself and that she would die as she lived. Full on… She did not want the decision of life and death taken from her, and so we gave her this gift. It was not easy. When you share your life with an animal friend it is usually inevitable that they will leave the building before you do.

My daughter, full of grief, wondered if she had done enough, loved enough, paid enough attention. We give what we can, we learn from our misgivings, and we move forward with the knowledge that we too are organic beings. Just like the tomato plant we spring from a seed, we stretch ourselves to the light, we blossom and grow, we are fruitful, we ripen, and if left on the vine long enough, we begin to wither, and finally to go back into the earth to begin the cycle once again.

Death is the final journey in this life. Sometimes it is quick and startling, sometimes it is long and drawn out, sometimes it happens when we are young and sometimes it happens when we are old bones; but happen it does… to each of us. This is why each breath that we breathe should be fiercely joyful, even if it is a struggle. We have earned the right to breathe, simply by our triumphant entrance through the perils of the birthing tunnel. We traverse the unknown; sometimes in joy, sometimes in fear, sometimes in wonder…We use the tools we are given or the ones we have unearthed by our own ingenuity and we live…we breathe… we chase the green tennis ball until our tongues hang so far out of our mouths that they drag on the ground…and still we do not give up…we are running towards our own humanity…our own evolution…And if we are lucky, in the end, as we enter the next birthing chamber, we will be surrounded by a warm blanket, and warmer love…Journey well, Missy. We love you.

It is hard to believe that yet another year is winding down. We are bundling up, putting on our rain boots, and carrying our bumbershoots. We draw inwards, we are more still, we gather the warmth around us and we wait for the rebirth of the sun. It is not coincidence that this is the time we, as a nation, communally reflect on all we can and should be thankful for. It is also a time to remember those who need our assistance to find comfort.

Maybe it is the cold, or the shorter days and darker nights. Maybe it is the end of harvest and brightness of summer. Whatever causes this moment of collective awareness of gratitude and the unanswered needs of others, it has the potential of releasing grief, uplifting spirits, and shared grace; if only for a moment.

We don’t need to change a life forever… sometimes offering a moment of ease and understanding will provide peace and comfort; a delicious warm meal, a mug of hot cider, camaraderie that lets us know that we are not on this planet alone and not expected to do it all ourselves. We, after all, each of us, only have this moment to make a difference. Each of our moments adds up to a lifetime. Some of our lifetimes are long and some are rather short, but the potential of greatness in humanitarian behaviors do not rely on the amount of time each of us is given on this earth plane. It relies on the depth of our love and compassion. Life insists that we break our hearts wide open, so that we, each of us, can be givers of grace. It is why we are here, yet so often, what we forget. Not because we are non compos mentis, but because we are so utterly human. Sometimes the little messages simply pass us by.

Let us pay attention in this season of repose, to the potential of our own greatness of generosity, ability to forgive, and capacity for being love in action. Let us recognize our sameness’s and honor our differences without judgment, prejudice, or lofty apathy. As the song goes, “let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me”.