Saturday, October 3, 2009

A Ship at my side spreads her white sails...



I am standing upon the seashore.  A ship at my side spreads her white sails
to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.  She is an object of beauty
and strength.  I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all.  She is just as large in mast
and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able
to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her.  And just at the moment
when someone at my side says: There, she is gone!"
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout: "Here she comes!"

And that is dying.



~ Henry Van Dyke













10 comments:

  1. Wow... Just simply wow. That's such a perfect analogy...

    ReplyDelete
  2. AWWWW thanks a lot for sharing this Linda.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ...and not only in regards to death but when our loved ones are gone across the country or the world....they are still just as real as when they were physically by our side within touching distance. I too needed this reminder today.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Reaches out and touches my dear Cherie... HUGS!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. beautiful and the music is so calming. I should turn this on and sleep to it :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Linda, this is the most beautiful thing I have read today. Thank you! I agree with Cherie... it applies to those who are simply out of our sight too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Linda this is amazing. I am fine and hope all goes well in the future for you. I spoke to Frannie last week. Hugs and love. xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, beautifully simple, but so rich in meaning. I had not read this before, thanks for posting.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Is this the current WB? (it should be)

    ReplyDelete