Birth and Death

"I have made death a messenger of joy to thee, wherefore dost thou grieve?"-Baha'i Writings I have had the honour of being of assistance to people as their souls take flight as well as when little souls arrive. The reverence and beauty of these two life events are remarkably similar. I recently prepared the body of a wonderful woman for burial. As I washed her, wrapped her in white cotton and said prayers over her I could feel her soul smiling down. Her flesh was cold and without the animation of life and it became clear to me how this life is so fleeting and unimportant and only when our body is accompanied by a soul does it matter. I came home and held my vibrant children and cherish these living moments and also do not morn those who escape the limitations of this material world because they are free and watching over us and also no longer inhibited by the ego. The ego seems to be buried in the dust and only the virtues they developed in this world accompany them into the next.