Wordless Wednesday And Being Present

There are changes on the horizon. My friend, Dorothy, will soon be moving to rehab, where she will have a quieter, more private place to recover. This has been a long road, winding through a landscape that is largely unknown to me. I’ve learned some things about the human body that are fascinating. For all the intricate parts, to think that there is one tiny muscle, smaller than a beating heart, that can essentially steer the ship on course or into the void. It is a stunning revelation.

I’ve learned a lot about people too. I’ve shared space with people motivated by nothing but kindness. People moved to this service of the heart by this tiny woman with a big spirit and by their own desire to do right by her. If I ever needed an example of that kind of unconditional love, I didn’t need to look far.

We will continue to keep vigil as she navigates this road forward. I had a friend who described this time as “walking with her loved one in the December of her life”. I see that now a little more clearly. The leaves stripped from the branches, the cold air chilling to the bone. This landscape makes known, without distraction, what are clearly the bones of a life. The bedrock things standing tall against the dimming sky. We are made for all of these moments.

As Ram Dass said:

“We are really
just walking
each other
home …”