Breathing Earth

A friend of a friend -- a fit, 39 year old yoga instructor, Jackie Rixon -- was unexpectedly diagnosed with final stage stomach cancer last month... I was sent a link this morning to her fund-raising site set up by her friends & family to raise money for her treatments and medicines for - Iscador/Mistletoe and Ozone Cancer Treatment. Have a read about them under 'alternative treatments' on the blog site...it is very interesting...

I've been touched by the situation & it has caused me to wonder what I would do if I was confronted with the reality of a short time left to live...I've had many sympathetic wonderings about what must go through someone's mind in this situation...fears? regret? hope? the taking stock of what's been achieved? 'last minute' achievements?

Our wonderful cleaning lady, Cynthia's husband committed suicide - hung himself with a rope at the back of her house about 6 weeks ago. He had been an alcoholic & had not contributed to the raising of their 2 children for most of their lives. He and Cynthia had been separated for many years...Yesterday she seemed cheerful again -- she was singing and seemed to be enjoying the day.... Geoff and I were taking some photographs off the balcony at the beautiful morning & she asked if I would please take a photograph of her in her "mourning clothes" so that she could give it to her children "so that they can see & be reminded of how sad she is". So, at the end of the day, out of her work outfit and back in her mourning clothes, Cynthia posed for me - the smile she'd carried all morning promptly disappeared and the above photograph of her looking rather depressed was the result.

There are cultural customs...differences...ways of dealing with issues such as death...picking up the pieces of a failed marriage ending & the loss of a parent to two children and their hard working mother that I will never understand about lovely Cynthia.

Time is such a strange element of human existence...we know we have an average amount of years to live & then it is just......over. In a few generations, millions of people are only remembered by a few faded photographs / heirlooms or stories...a small percentage of people are remembered for inventing something...finding something out about life in our world...leaving their mark. Kings and queens..presidents and leaders become milestones of era's which give way for the next one and the next one.

Breathing Earth illuminates the reality of life and death this in such an amazing way: http://www.breathingearth.net/

I am so happy and thankful that in this moment, I am happy, healthy and well...and that I have been blessed with the enjoyment of a wonderful life.

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