"Souls are connected, we never truly lose our loved ones."
This must be true! How could the Sacred Beauty we experience in every day life here on earth, not be just as glorious in the Spirit world from whence we came. I refuse to believe otherwise. The Love we share is eternally more grand than any faint lines we imagine separating us between Life and the Other side. Yesterday morning we witnessed the passing of a beloved family member. My son woke early and immediately realized our 9 year old dog Timber was not well. I went to the living room next to where he slept, took a deep breath and called my faithful friend. His first steps were a valiant effort to do what his heart wanted, to come close and give my face a lick, hence his other name, TimberLickey. With a sweet smile, he stood on shaky legs then quickly collapsed within a few feet from where I waited. Once we realized there was no hope for intervention, my children and I sat by his side, our hands intermingling as we stroked his soft fur. Complete, we made a circle of Love. Watching him shudder with his last breaths was both heartbreaking and beautiful. I will never forget those moments, my hand on his chest, the rapid beat of his heart becoming still as we sobbed our goodbyes. Despite the deep sorrow at his sudden passing, I am thankful we were there when it happened, I think he waited for us. He went peacefully. Now here we are. A very important and large space in our life is empty, and forever will be. I would like to believe he is near, and one day we will be joyfully reunited. However the grief I feel makes it difficult to find solace in what sometimes appears to be wishful thinking. The lessons of loss are harsh ones. Time is said to heal all wounds, yet it is time itself which seems to rob of us what was once ours to hold. I lay here in the quietness of my despair and know I need to make a decision. My spiritual beliefs are the guidelines to my soul. Just like Timber followed his heart, I must make the choice to follow mine. Can I use the tears of my sadness to water the flowers of lost hope. Is that how faith is born, to find joy in the sacredness of what appears to be nothing more than death. My story is yours. We all experience loss, and we all must choose what to do with it. I lay here in the quietness, in the vast space that once was my dear friend. The lessons of his love much bigger than the sorrows of my earthly beliefs. To believe there is nothing more would contradict all that once was. Clouded by tears, my eyes cannot see him though I know he is close. Love is not something that can be seen anyways, so for now I will honor his life by believing what he came here to teach. Love is eternal, It just is.
In Faith
~Raven
