Sacred Art of Dying II

I return to Callanish in the City for Part II of their inaugural workshop on the Sacred Art of Dying, today and tomorrow from 10am-5pm. Part of me would like to just stay close to home, spending the day divided between jewellery design, house de-disasterifying and gardening. Part of me is so happy to be back in the company of the very fine folk who source Callanish and the seven other participants.


I write this watching the sun rise colouring up the eastern sky, birds at the feeder, and reflect on the crazy month that I have had since Part I of the workshop. I have discovered advocacy and been part of a "take back Pacific Spirit Park" whistle initiative, started a new blog entitled: http://bethechangeyouwanttoseeinvancouver.blogspot.com/, written to the BC Cancer Agency about their--in my BFO--very unsavoury snack trolley and upon posting the letter on that blog after almost a month of awaiting a written response, received a hand-delivered letter from them less than 24 hours after mentioning that I was wondering about being in touch with some of my media contacts. I also with great efficiency was able to promote a very neat Earth Day event held in the parking lot of Lord Byng Secondary. Best Buy accepted people's old electronics to keep them out of the landfill. I heard through another parent that they had five times the response that had been expected. Thanks to all who participated and who now have less clutter in their homes.


I also had the great honour of being at the birth of friends' strapping bonny lad. That is truly a delicious memory. And then there was the meeting of this new being two days later with Zack and Charlotte. That was just an immense thrill for all of us.


I feel so full of live these days and know that it is because of being reminded of how precious and uncertain life is. I will go to Callanish to do the deepest work I am capable of so that I can maintain this appreciation of this life that is available to me this moment, moment, moment.


"A good death does honor to a whole life." ~Petrarch


"Apply yourself now, that at the hour of death, you may be glad and unafraid." ~Thomas à Kempis


"In my end is my beginning." ~T.S. Eliot


"When someone is born we rejoice,
When someone is married we celebrate
But when someone dies, we pretend that nothing happened." ~Margaret Mead