path at the end of the canal
St. James City, FL
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The cold air has engulfed the full length of eastern coast - there is no escaping it. We donned sweaters and scarves for this morning's walk in a very overcast, windy 55 degrees. As we prepare to fly back to New England for my aunt's funeral I am filled, of course, with thoughts of her but also on the book I chose to begin this journey with.
"Lincoln in the Bardo" by George Saunders.
Curious.
Yes, our reading choices tell a lot about ourselves and yes, we are what we read. But do we know ahead of time what our state of mind will be when we actually begin that chosen book? I don't expect an answer. But I do know that although I would have still loved this book (any other time) - right now, I am understanding it in a more personal way, breathing with it's quiet pace and awed by the love it displays.
"bardo" is a Tibetan term for the time after death but before rebirth when one's conciousness is not connected to a physical body. The book accepts this state of flux and explores the connections between the living, the dead and the bardo - and the journey away from "self" towards an eternal "whole".
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I morn the loss of the individual, the loved one, my aunt.
She was welcoming, loving, and oh so bighearted.
I morn the loss of her entire generation
that connected me to the generation before.
I morn the fact that I am, now, that much closer to death.
Death is inevitable for all of us.
All of us are equal in this inevitability.
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So why do we create inequity, create barriers around different approaches to life?
We are all the same. We are equal beings upon this wondrous planet.
We own nothing but ourselves.
We can only leave behind the love we fueled and the lasting memories that love created.
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Arms around my family and my friends!
Awake each day and love all, spread kindness, and do something worthwhile.
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south end of Pine Island looking east
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