Precious Thy Death (a thought while hiking on a Tahoe morning)

In the midst of a dense forest, near the sprays of a magnificent waterfall, there stood a tree. Death had come to this tree a long time ago. That was obvious. Nonetheless, its color was astounding, a polished silver. Hardly a trace of its original brown could be seen, no protective bark...just dead wood. Wood that had weathered many hard winters, heavy snowfall and the forces of erosion.

However, firmly embedded into the rocks of the cold river's banks, it brought to mind those matters of life...and death.

Are we not, for the most part engaged in life and things living? Indeed, most of our relationships are with those we can give to and gain from. Nevertheless, just as that tree was a very fixed and very permanent part of the landscape, even so are those who have died and gone before us to glory a very fixed and permanent part of our lives.

They could stand to teach us many things; do not get too hung up on the things of this world. This world, after all, is not our final goal or destination so to speak.

Are they, our loved ones who have gone before us, still very present in our thoughts? Do they still influence our lives even though they cease to be a viable part of our every-days? There is much we do not know or understand about death...God says, "Precious to me is the death of my beloved." If we listen, we will learn from those who no longer speak.

By Patricia Lentz with a little edit here and there from Debby A.