Life, Death and Remembering Our Loved Ones - with audio

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"... Lay me down like a stone, O God, and raise me up like a loaf,"
- Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace, Ch. XII

I received the phone call full of restrained words, that they had taken ill 
The soft voices, spoken prayers, eternal hopes, miraculous dreams
In that stillness of shaken hearts we wished and offered our support
Part of us knowing the certainty of sadness to follow
A little while longer and our loved one was gone; taken from us

Retreating into the garden of quiet wandering and drifting thoughts, 
I began to reflect on the Following; Sleep comes to us all, covering us, 
As we slowly struggle and fall, with an Irresistible Blanket of peace. 
Each winter season brings its news once more and only time Serves to Cushion the blow, 
Till it becomes like a bell tolling in the distance. 
Our friend has Overcome Great hardship and we now join in this endeavor 
With help from one another, and A loving hand from above.

The motion of leaves whispering before the storm
Is it not like the footfall of those we now recall?
Faces turned to shades of memory hidden in the heart
As moonbeams hiding in the folds of satiny clouds
Announce the great light's silhouette, though it be obscured

Are not the raindrops that fall out of heaven's door
Messengers that come to refresh the land and its people?
To bring good news upon the great and small of life and of cleansing?
Are they not but a mirror of our tears and the outpouring of our hearts and souls, 
Renewing the deepest parts of each, helping each to love one another?
For a seed has been brought to bear in the earth, to grow blossoms and fruit
So that now the landscape is peopled with plenty, and each bosom is full.

So precious is that which cannot be bought or contained, in the sight of the Almighty.
That which is sent from on High and then returns again on the wind unseen
As it has been said "For a little seed must fall to the ground in order to give life"
The great and beautiful community of lights is made up of these, 
as are our families and Friends gathered in this place.  
The mustard seed has done what the Husbandman Intended, and we have witnessed it.  

It has Grown up into a vast network of love, Of sowing, of harvesting and of abundance here today. Are not the words and deeds of those remembered here with us now, as the sunshine that comes after the showers to warm and brighten all things? Do we not see the gifts of our loved ones expressed in the faces of our friends and family?
When we do, our Maker walks with each one, and holds us for a little while
And so we celebrate the diamonds mined deep within the earth,
The gleaming of purest gold, the sparkle of dazzling jewels and the fine color painted tapestries, as we look upon the treasures of life, and celebrate those who've left us.

The good are taken from us, as the world cannot countenance them any longer
It turns away from the evening, only to behold the dawning of a new day elsewhere.
Each friend is like a fine wine, rich in sweetness and royal color, satisfying the Heart And calming the mind. Gathering together, each enjoys the blessings of one another's company, And in this way joy shall overtake our sorrow, until it is time to rest. 
So it is then, That we in this life should be like a loaf of braided egg bread, 
Sprinkled with the laughter of our Children, friends and loved ones, 
Like poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and raisins.  
When Looking upon It one sees not the beginning, nor the end, 
But rather, only, the sumptuousness of its sun-like yellow, 
The filling richness of its doughy taste, and the exalted Pleasure of its Rising.