Wednesday, September 8, 2010

He can't possibly be in that box

For those of you that don’t know, my dog, Bones, died June 1st at the age of 17. My husband and I decided to have him cremated. It just didn’t feel right not to bring his remains home. I picked up his ashes a few weeks back. They put his ashes in a box that I have on a shelf in my room. Every once in a while, I look up and see them.

The other night I thought to myself, that’s not Bonesy in there. Bonesy is so much more than just ashes at this point. He is a spirit who has moved on to the afterlife and still in a huge way takes care of his family. I still see a yellow butterfly every now and again, a sure sign that my Bonesy is very much alive.

Do they really care what happens with their bodies?

I started thinking about all the rituals we’ve created around death as humans and the true significance of them. I’m wondering if Bonesy really cares about his remains and where they are?

I think it’s significant for us, those left behind, to do something for our loved ones who have moved on. It feels good to me to have Bonesy’s ashes in our home.

Friends of ours, who lost their dog this past year, planted a dogwood in their yard in memory of their pup. I thought this was a great idea and I think we’ll do the same for our Bonesy Bear.

The spiritual experience on Earth

I have always loved the expression, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience” by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. I totally believe that to be true. We are so much more than this lifetime that we are currently experiencing.

I feel like we come in and out of lifetimes on Earth to experience all that Earth has to offer us. In one lifetime, we may tackle the idea of learning how to have healthy relationships, in another, we may decide to learn how to trust, and in another, we may learn how to have balance and so on. I believe the overall theme for our experiences in every lifetime is joy.

We are here to experience life to its fullest with all of its richness. So why waste any time doing anything else? Let your desires be your guide in life and just do what it is you’d like to do. You’ve all heard the Nike slogan, “Just do it!”

Your thoughts ... I'd love to hear them

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com

I’d love to get a workout in right now, I’m going to, “Just do it!”

Mary

1 comment:

  1. Love the dogwood tree idea. I haven't heard that Pierre Teilhard de Chardin quote, but it's very nice.

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