|
Thank you for your interest in my work and please visit again!
|
|
 |
|
THANATOPSIS: A Meditation On Death
From the Greek word 'thanatos' meaning death personified
Truly it is in darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then the light is nearest of all to us. Johannes Eckhart
2008 CHANGES:
All of the grief pages have another home. Please visit The Grieving Heart® for hope and support after loss. Once there, click Thanatopsis for an expanded version of this page. Thank you. The link below opens a new window.
|
|
|
YOUNG AMERICANS
Top
In late June, 2008, we reached a grim statistic(*): 4110 young Americans have died in Iraq, and 528 Americans have died in Afghanistan, since the start of the war. The death toll continues to mount every day in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is a profound loss of youth and human potential.
At least 30,247 US troops have been wounded in action in Iraq. The American injury count in Afghanistan stands at 2087.(**) Many of the wounded soldiers are permanently maimed. I can't express in words the personal sacrifice and pain of war.
(*) Source: CNN count (June 26, 2008)
(**) Pentagon estimate (June 26, 2008)
My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the brave young men and women in uniform who have given "the last full measure of devotion" in service to their country. May the God of your understanding wrap loving arms around you and grant you peace.
To those who continue to serve in the US Armed Forces:
Thank you for your courage and sacrifice, stay safe, and return home soon to happy reunions.
**************************************************
From Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
Life is real, life is earnest,
But the grave is not its goal.
'Dust thou art to dust returnest'
Was not spoken of the soul.
Longfellow also penned the poem below during the long anguish
of the Civil War:
And in despair, I bowed my head,
"There is no peace on earth," I said.
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men."
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, goodwill to men."
**************************************************
He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. Aeschylus, Greek tragic dramatist
****************************************************
HIGH FLIGHT
By John Gillespie MaGee, Jr.
Top
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies in laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds--and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of--wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew--
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.
John Gillespie Magee was a fighter pilot during World War II. He was killed in action two weeks after penning this poem.
|
*****************************
REMEMBERING NEW ORLEANS
Top
New Orleans cast her spell of enchantment on me long ago with her rich heritage of writing and music. From the beignets (ben-YAYS) served with chicory coffee at Cafe du Monde and Dixieland jazz on Bourbon Street, to the beautiful brown skin of her people, "Nawlins" was a glorious gumbo of history and culture.
I remember a talented boy, no more than twelve, playing a dented trumpet for pocket change on a street corner in the French Quarter. I was mesmerized as music filled the heavy air. He may have been young, but his Blues came from a timeless old soul.
I remember the nocturnal sound of voodoo drums coming from a distant bayou and the voodoo priestess who warned me of future stomach problems. I sought treatment for a gastric ulcer later that year.
I most remember the energy and vitality of New Orleans. Whether I was riding a trolley to the exotic warm weather zoo, or strolling past Anne Rice's house in the magnolia-scented Garden District, I felt the haunting, and magnificent, spirit of the place.
New Orleans was also a city of stark contrasts: bustling tourist attractions steeped in American history, elegant hotels, Cajun cuisine, and respected universities, surrounded by scarred housing projects, aging levees, and the desperation of poverty.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's fury, my mind is flooded with the ghastly images of unspeakable suffering, devastation and loss. The Big Easy isn't easy anymore.
UPDATE MORE THAN TWO YEARS LATER: The city of New Orleans is still in disarray with very little rebuilding in the poorer sections of town. Hospitals have closed, doctors have left, the murder rate has skyrocketed.
To learn how you can still make a difference, click Internet Resources from the secondary pages below. Once there, select Make It Right NOLA: Rebuilding New Orleans, a charity created by filmstar Brad Pitt. You can also visit Scambusters.org for tips on how to avoid the fraudulent charities.
**************************************************
The final lines of THANATOPSIS
By William Cullen Bryant
So live, that when thy summons comes to join the innumerable caravan which moves to that mysterious realm where each shall take his chamber in the silent halls of death, Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night, scourged to his dungeon, But sustained and soothed by an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave like one who wraps the drapery of his couch about him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.
|
My E-mail: TheGrievingHeart@aol.com
Top
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
George Santayana
© Copyright 2001-2008 Christine Jette. All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
