Impermanence

I write this from Southport North Carolina where I am "on retreat" at my brother Geoff and Vicky's house.  They have a beautiful room they added to their home where I am staying for a week and I have the opportunity here for company and solitude, for walking and writing and reading and rest.  i am away from my regular life and "on retreat."

We took a nice long walk together and i could see some of the effects of Hurricane Florence.  We saw a popular restaurant that is still not open due to the storm and heard about a movie house that is literally gone after the hurricane.  It is a reminder of impermanence - nothing lasts forever.

I was reading my book on grieving mindfully and this quote from Buddha:
"Everything that has a beginning has an end." 
And that message is all around me.

I continue to reflect on the last days of Chuck's life.  On the plane over yesterday i realized it was 6 weeks duration from the surgery to his passing.  And there is so much that I remember - hour by hour and almost moment by moment.  It was a time I will not forget ever.

At the same time, I reflected i have the same strong memories of the days at the beginning of our relationship - the first date, the second date and many of the activities in that first year together.  Somehow beginnings and endings do make their mark on our soul.

The plane ride from Columbus to Charlotte was uneventful and I sat beside a very nice woman named Betty.  She was returning from being with her sister in law at her death bed and I shared that I was going to visit my brother a month after my husband died.  Batty was older than me and lost her husband a out four years ago.  She was very compassionate and kind.  She said that her motto in life is "Deal or No Deal."  Meaning: deal with it or else.

So, I am here facing and in my own way dealing with the reality and the sorrow of the face of impermanence.  Everything has a beginning and an end and we remember it, honor it, and deal with it.