I’m feeling quite introspective, quite reflective, this week. A dear friend has passed away.

Death is a common experience we all share.  We will all leave these earthly bodies one day. We will be missed by our family and by our friends. At the same time, we will live on in the stories which weave our lives together, the laughter which erupts at the hint of any funny remembrance, and the love which sustains us without question and without obligation.

Yes, there is sadness. Yet I am also encouraged by the words of Kahlil Gibran that cause me to picture my friend truly dancing, unfettered by the constraints of this world:

“Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.”

I pray those words will also comfort you and encourage you in any loss you have.