To die to the self
To grow towards the beloved
To die
And therefore see with new eyes
To die
To let go of old habits and thoughts

To be born anew
Requires that we die
The egg needs to crack
For the chick to emerge
The seed needs to break
For the plant to grow high

Therefore, life is a series of deaths
Childhood dies and adulthood emerges
Our adult self dies
For the soul to be free
Death is never the end things
It’s only the path to the beginning of things

Death involves pain and suffering, of course
It’s hard to associate pain with growth
But once we’ve experienced a few beginnings, we
Can be assured of how things work

Lida Berghuis
October 2nd 2011