Witnessing the full circle of life recently continues to have my heart opening in expansion.

Saturday, January 18, I sat vigil with my husband John’s family as my father-in-law transitioned from this earthly plane.

As I sat in my father-in-law’s hospice room I was moved to tears at the sacred work of the nurses and the compassion they extended, first and foremost to my father-in-law, and to the family.

Years ago as a volunteer with my therapy dog, Frankie, at the same hospice facility, I experienced this work as an honor and a privilege to be allowed in the rooms of those that would soon be on their way to another dimension. I learned so much about myself during that time.

I wasn’t there for my father-in-law’s last breath at 10:29 pm (he passed twenty minutes after many of the family members headed home for some rest), but I welcomed hearing about the experience from my sister-in-law who was.

I don’t feel afraid of death as I did when I was younger. Being in the room with my father-in-law and being witness as he went through the different phases and moved toward transitioning I found myself feeling like I did when I was a volunteer — I was deeply honored to be a part of the experience.

And then in what felt like a blink of an eye, the following Saturday at 9:50 pm and 9:51 pm my grand-nieces made their way into the world. I’m a great auntie (to twins!) for the first time!

And whoosh! I couldn’t help but really feel at the depth of my core the full circle of life with one who took his last breath and two who came in breathing on their own with strong lungs even though they arrived eight weeks earlier than expected.

All of this has had me pondering the breath of life — it’s all we have — it’s what brings us into this world, it’s what sustains us while we are here, and it’s what guides us as we transition.

Within those breaths of life, I’m also reflecting once again on the importance of the pause—to really be in the space of what is of the utmost importance while I’m here and how to live that.

Times like this of witnessing the full circle of life has deepened my appreciation not only for the breath of life but for the many pauses that are essential to living a life of meaning as we define it for ourselves.  

xo,

Barbara