I SING

"I sing because I'm happy........ I sing because I'm FREE!"
                               -- from the hymn "His Eye is on the Sparrow"

Well! -- I have made it to the end of the exit ramp. My journey along the Road Less Traveled is at an end.

This post was composed by me before my passing; at my instruction, a loving friend is sharing it with you.

Please do not grieve long, dear friends.

Instead, be happy for me that I have started down a new road -- one that is not fraught with pain, disease, immobility, ennui. No more lying in bed all day, fighting the pain, being waited on and cared for in what is often referred to as "the second childhood." No more coughing uncontrollably when trying to speak or sing.

             I can now . . . once again . . . SING.

It may be that some of you cannot share my belief in the never-ending existence of the soul -- that we are not merely physical bodies that happen to be steered by a soul; instead, we are souls that are housed by a physical (and often imperfect) body. Our bodies are our "earthly tents;" our cocoons, the shells that house that butterfly, the soul. The soul never dies; it flits from dimension to dimension and steers our infinite journey.

Imagine that loop that has come to symbolize infinity. Imagine that as we travel from life to life and back again into other dimensions, we carry all of our memories and our accomplishments, our connections with other souls and the love that links us together on that loop. We may bump into one another as we come around the loop and re-connect once again at that lovely place where the loop intersects with itself.

Just as that loop of infinity never ends, our souls never die.

A beloved composer of children's songs, Natalie Sleeth, wrote an anthem that says it better than I can:

          In the bulb, there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree; 
          in cocoons, a hidden promise -- butterflies will soon be free.

          There's a song (!!!) in every silence, seeking word and melody;
          there's a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.

          In the end is our beginning; in our time, infinity (that lovely LOOP!)
          In our death, a resurrection; at the end, a victory.

My family will be planning a memorial service; if you are able to come, you can share stories of crazy times together that we have experienced on the loop. Stay tuned to this blog for updates.

Keep the music going on your side of the veil, folks. And know this: we WILL meet again one day.

                 --- Betsy