September 10, 2018
All images are mine unless otherwise noted.
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This post is about some good news and a bittersweet event which is the death of my brother a few weeks ago. Bittersweet as his passing is both sad and good news as he is missed, and a return to our Creator is always a blessing.
But first, a word from Lucy, a wise dog belonging to Denise who was camping on Campobello Island, New Brunswick a few days ago while we were there. Lucy was more than willing to share about important things that are happening in the world and a possible solution to these issues.
- Lucy-
"I, personally, need to get a good night's sleep or the following day I become extremely grouchy." (Translated to me by Denise of course as I don't speak Canadian Dog.)
The moral of this short tale is, get a good night's sleep or, be grouchy the next day.
Could this be a major part of a solution to all of our problems in these tumultuous times? Worth a try.
(This is a true event. That night Lucy put herself to bed by going into the tent as an evening fire was lit. She awoke to find out why her caregiver was not sleeping as well. She was grouchy but got over it and did get a good night's sleep after all. A wise dog indeed.)
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I want to offer a few thoughts about the death of my brother Bob on August 16th. He finally passed through the Final Veil and was reunited with his Creator and began the next stage of life I believe we will all enter as well.
He was the last person who knew me for the entire course of my life to date. Bob was four years older than I am.
I will only add a few lines to the photos I took last week on Campobello Island. Bob had a long love for Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine and spent a great deal of time there, alone at first, and then with his partner Cliff for more times than I know about. They were together for fifty years before Bob succumbed to late stage Parkinson's disease. Since we have looked out at the same ocean over the years the images express for me the view Bob had on Monhegan.
At death the Call from God comes to return
to the Ocean that is the Source of our lives.
Ocean, the metaphor for God's visible and Real Presence.
There on the shore we see the boat that will take us
across the last barrier to reunion with our True Home.
Lee and I stood on this shore and offered our goodbyes
with words of hope and joy
that my brother now resides in the Presence of God.
Lee painted Bob's name on two rocks and they
were thrown into the outgoing tide -
a goodbye to a long life.
It is said that nothing comes into life
unless something dies.
Look to new life reaching to the Sun
and offer gratitude for the life that died and offered
birth to the new, a flower, a baby, you and I.
In the twilight of this existence
all that is needed to give hope is to look at the sky,
the setting sun speaks of the beauty created
for our enjoyment even at the last breath we may take.
With gratitude for the life of Bob Lagerstrom.
God has returned his being to our only True Home
from where he and all of us were sent
in our birth into this world.
Peace and joy to all,
Bill Lagerstrom
