Rainbows

My husband and I vacationed at our family cottage this summer. It was the end of summer, days were getting shorter and nights were cooler. We were also hit with an unusual number of dark, windy stormy days. This included the dribs and drabs of hurricane Irene - it had been dark all day but just at sunset the skies opened up and created this beautiful mix of clouds and rainbows. It was truly the best that mother nature has to offer.



Now, I am not generally a religious person, and don't really spend a lot of time thinking of what happens after death in a spiritual sense... except in the terms that my science training taught me, which didn't leave a lot of room for spiritual musings. When Mike died I almost found it hard not to think that he was still present in the world. As a result, I find myself wondering every time nature shares something so beautiful with us...

A while ago I found this poem/prayer that captures this thought for me:

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

mary elizabeth frye - 1932