Perceiving eternity

From the deck today.

       I am here at the cottage, waiting for the call, the call telling me that my brother-in-law has offered up that final exhale, that he is released from pain and struggle, and that all the memory we now need is of a life well-lived as husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend.
       It is silent on the deck as I sit in solitude, a solitude not lonely but shared with family and friends who knew him. I am finding simplicity in the following, sent to me by a friend. 

                         those who
                         can
                         perceive eternity in
                         the sea understand
                         there is no death,
                                 only change,
                         there is no loss,
                                 only
                                 difficult gifts.
                                              Maryanne Radmacher-Hershey

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