PSALM 23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
On Death
By: 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.
My dear, precious blog and life friend, Renee, lost her 25 year old nephew, Sheldon, to a rare brain cancer today and I ask you to pray for her and her family. Sheldon was diagnosed only a few short months ago.
Renee's life-affirming blog is:
http://circlingmyhead.blogspot.com/
Sheldon fought a valient fight, but sadly, lost his short battle. His mother, Jacquie, is in the hospital fighting cancer also. Jacquie is Renee's favorite sister, as she so eloquently blogged about not long ago. Renee is herself a cancer survivor having been diagnosed with Stage IV Inflammatory Breast Cancer in February, 2006. She is in remission and through her blog, she has educated hundreds, perhaps thousands of us on how to live---with her big heart, her wisdom, courage, joie de vivre and wonderful sense of humor.
Knowing Renee has changed my life. She has taught me how to live life more fully, more aware and to keep on keeping on in the midst of hardships, no matter what life throws at me. A book she often recommends and journals about is, "Cancer – 50 Essential Things to Do" by Greg Anderson. I highly recommend it if you or a loved one is battling cancer.
On Friday, August 7, Renee posted the following about Sheldon and I thought it was a perfect example of her warrior heart and a beautiful tribute to Sheldon's gentle, brave spirit. I close with her quote and send her my love, prayers, comfort and blessings---She is truly a friend of my heart......
"I admire Sheldon. I have always loved Sheldon; that goes without saying. But now I know what it really means to truly look up to a person, because, for the first time in my life I look up to someone. Sheldon is 25 years old and has the heart of a lion. And to chaos all I can say is ‘Fuck you. You have been beaten by a 25 year old man with the attitude of a god.'"
"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal." ~From a headstone in Ireland
