I would imagine that “death” is on people’s mind more than at any other recent time.
We are all going to die sooner or later. But, our souls are eternal. We do not “pass away.” We “pass-over.” Think a beautiful rainbow from the earth to the heavens and back down to the earth.
This is a poem that I wrote for one of our apprentices after he had lost his mother. In tribute to his mother, we included it in our memoirs:
Life Eternal
Once again our earthly journey,
Separating from the loving womb of mother.
We take our first breath of life, of God’s breath,
And we remember
The love and purity of the heavens,
The perfection and oneness of all.
With our cry our journey of life,
Of life’s joys and struggles, begins,
And remembrance slowly fades
But is never totally gone.
Throughout the joys and struggles,
The joys of family and friends,
Of pets, music, and the delights of life,
There are the struggles.
Ones that may strengthen our spirit,
The turbulence of life, the cares and sorrows
That hang heavy over our heart,
the grief and sorrow of death.
But we remember at certain times
the love and perfection,
Times when we gaze into the eyes of loved ones,
The closeness of family and friends,
The sounds of laughter, the playful glee of children, the innocence of a baby.
Freshly falling snow may bring remembrance,
As may the first blossom of spring,
A visit by hummingbird, the beauty of a butterfly,
The first star of night,
The mystery and beauty of nature.
Our remembrance is of our heart and soul,
Of the starlight eternal.
Remember, remember, remember.
Then it is time, the heavens call.
A time to return,
Return to the purity of heavenly love,
To the perfection and oneness of heaven.
In the heavens a star shines brighter.
To the ones we leave behind,
Know that you are loved,
And know you are never alone.
– JC, 2014