Friday, April 01, 2005

Bye, Granddad!

A little sooner than expected, my Granddad decided to do a runner over to the other side last night. He was never the most patient man.

Seriously though, I'm actually really ok, just a little bit dazed. None of us were expecting it to be quite this soon. Although when I saw him at the weekend and saw how frail he was, there was a question mark in my head over whether it would really be quite as long until the end as the doctors had projected.

Mum had been working at the Home all day and my Aunt and Uncle had both paid visits, so he'd not been on his own at all, which is good However, Mum went home for a couple of hours, after her shift ended, to get changed and have something to eat, before coming back to sit and spend the evening with him and he passed away literally five minutes before she got there. She said that she would have liked to have been there at the end, but I told her that he did have a fairly important appointment to make, so she shouldn't be too cross at him.

While of course I am sad that he has gone, I also have to remind myself how lucky I have been. Not only have I known each of my Grandparents but I also knew one Great Grandparent as well. And I still have two very healthy ones left.

My housemate was just reminding me about The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran and that there is a passage in the book relating to death. I just found it online and was reminded how beautiful that book is. So Granddad - here are some beautiful words in honour of a beautiful life. Have fun up there!

"On Death" - The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Then Almitra spoke, saying, "We would ask now of Death."

And he said, "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 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 shall you begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance."

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