Death and Dying 101

My sensitive soul has encountered the concept of death and it has been a challenging week. Call it a rite of passage. After coming across a dead squirrel, a dead bird and a dead cricket all in a few days, the questions started coming.

Do all animals die? Do all people die? Do we only die when we are old? Do you die when you get white hair? Are you going to die today? Is Papa going to die? Are we going to die together? Do I have to keep you from dying? What happens to our bodies when we die? Will I have the same face? Will they put your body in the garbage like Uncle Chad put the bird in the garbage? Do I get to keep my necklace? Will you still give me kisses? WHY DO WE HAVE TO DIE?

On and on the questions come and on and on I am faced to really evaluate, "What do I think about death and dying?" While it would be easy to talk about a happy place that we all go where there is lots of candy and toys, I fight the urge. I feel a responsibility to provide simple and honest answers but also feel okay saying, "You know. I don't know the answer to that." What do I know and what can I share? I know that we are more than our bodies. That there is a part of us that lives on with those we love. Call it a spirit. Call it a soul. Call it most simply the love we have shared during our time on earth. I know that I will always be with Ignacio. In the way he treats himself. In the way he treats others. In his laughter and the things that most break his heart. I know that we will never really be apart.