On Death
Kahlil Gibran

You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour.
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

Taken From The Morgue File

I am sure this is not new to many people as the words of Kahil Gibran are well known world wide but this particular piece taken from “The Prophet” struck me as particularly meaningful. I know, had my mother read this prior to her death, she would have thought so too. The last verse reminds me so of her. I know, without doubt, that she now sings and dances like she could never do while on this earth. As it says in the second verse, my heart dreams of Spring.

turning cartwheels
in the school ground yard
mounds of fire ants
swarming

jumping rope double dutch
jacks played for one
hop scotch squares
creating

holding silverware in my hand
tarnished beauty still
i feel her love for me
showing

© March 2014
Renee Espriu

Image Taken From Blog
http://mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

My mother remembered her mother as being more of a friend than a mother. She believes this to be so because my grandmother was an only child and she longed for playmates. I guess having five children is one way to do that. I think of the games I played as a girl and that my grandmother sat and played some of those same games with my mom and aunt and then there is the silverware. I probably will never use it but just to open the box and look at it all and know how much it meant to her causes me to remember how much love she had.