A Reading from the Book of Lyndsey

Be careful what you write. You just might get it.

Three weeks ago, in the last blog entry, I wrote about our uncertain cosmos and living in the here and now as a response. Two weeks later, we lost a dear friend very suddenly, at the ripe old age of 16.

An illness in infancy left Lyndsey with developmental disabilities. Something else, God knows what, left her with personality to burn. I would see her on weekends when her mother, who raises and shows animals as I do, would bring her to the shows. While Lyndsey didn’t take part directly, she was never far from the show table, and her exuberance at being with friends was palpable.

Our first meeting at every show followed something of a script. Lyndsey would lead with one of her giant, freely given hugs, then tell me excitedly who from her family was there. “Mom’s here, and guess what? Ty’s here too! And Stephan! He came too!” As though they never came to shows, and their coming was a great big deal.

Now, with Lyndsey’s passing, I realize she was right all along. It is a great big deal.

Here we are back at uncertainty. Every time we meet, we give the gift of our presence to others, and they to us. We have no idea whether it will be the last time we see each other. All we have is now, and the joy that this meeting, this presence, now brings us. All we can do is to be here now, fully attentive to the moment at hand, and relish the joy.

That is a very, very big deal indeed.