Such is Life

“True magic is neither black, nor white. It's both because nature is both ~ Loving and cruel all at the same time. The only good or bad is in the heart of the witch. Life keeps a balance on its own … it's part of a basic spiritual truth said in many ways in many faiths: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."    ~ Lirio (“The Craft”)

This has always been the concept of which I have believed in and lived by for many, many years now. For nature is indeed ‘both cruel and loving all at the same time.’ Let’s think about it for a moment: We are born, we live and then we die someday … period.  Sometimes; however, it is extremely difficult to accept this truth about life. Most especially after the loss of a dear loved one, be they a human family member or a beloved family pet.

For me, this has never been truer than after the recent death of my beloved dad ~  a man of whom I can only hope to be as strong and good-hearted as he  had been for the rest of my natural life here on this earthly plane. I have always strived to be the kind of person he was and, in some ways, have been simply because of the values he had instilled in both my brother and myself as children.

As is the case with most of us, I have my “good” days and my “bad” days. My husband told me the other day that he hopes to be as strong as I was when the time comes to say goodbye to his own parents. I told him that the only reason I had been able to show the strength which I had was because I loved my dad so much that I felt he did not deserve to feel badly about the fact that we couldn’t bear to lose him. And, I also knew the harsh reality that we were going to have the rest of our lives to mourn his loss. And, believe me, we shall.

I have always known in my heart of hearts that this basic rule of nature as it were was the “balance” of which we were taught about life in general ~ as if it were that easy. Unfortunately, we who are left behind those loved ones whom we have lost to the “cycle of life” so to speak have little choice but to carry on and to remember all of the precious memories they gave us throughout our lives. This, my dear friends, is all we are left with in the end.

Please do not misunderstand my words, I am and will forever be grateful for the fact that I was blessed for so very long to have those loved ones to share my life with even though my life will never again be the same for as long as I live. And, perhaps it shouldn’t be. Maybe that truly is the meaning of life after all ~ to learn to appreciate what we have through living and to be the best person we can possibly be throughout it? No matter what; however, I know that my dad will always be with me each and every single day ~ watching over me as always.