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THE CIRCLE OF LIFE
generations of living creatures are changed and like runners, pass on the torch of life. Titus Lucretius Carus (99 - 55 BC) On the Nature of Things I’ve often heard life is a cycle and as I get older (and hopefully wiser) I can see that more clearly, never more so than in this last month. Spring has definitely sprung around here, even if the mountains are still packed with snow. I can tell as the weather gets warmer, the wood chopping ceases and is replaced by the lawn mower, weed eater, and chainsaw (not to mention the other garden tools that go along with a ranch). So, too, have I been noticing the life cycle around me, as the trees come into bloom; the various color roses and other wild flowers around the compound opening up to an array of brilliance; the fruit trees producing their abundance; the birds singing, horses neighing... Just outside the bedroom window a Blue Jay worked to build a nest for her expected family, as she gathered fallen twigs nearby; twisting and turning; forming them into a nest, and then rested and waited for that day to arrive when five pale blue eggs appeared. It’s been a treat watching the process; for several weeks Mama Blue Jay sitting on the eggs to keep them warm from the cold; having some shelter within the tree branches and leaves from the occasional rain. She’d always sense when I’d come looking in on her from the window just above her nest. We’d watch each other. I’d talk and coo to her as she blinked at me in bewilderment, perhaps wondering who this strange person was. In time, she became used to me, losing her fear, even trusting me enough that I wouldn’t harm her soon-to-be offspring, as she’d fly off to gather food and fresh twigs for the home. The day arrived just a few weeks ago when the eggs hatched. At least four of the five were accounted for; the babies bald little heads with the black pea eyes still closed. The children were wobbly; stretching and craning their necks as they jockeyed for position in their cramped quarters, yet keeping close enough together to warm themselves from the still slight chill of Winter’s last breath. Mama was dutiful in the daily feedings and care of her children. And then one day I noticed only two were left in the nest with their mother...the two biggest siblings. What had happened to the others? I had presumed they had fallen out of the nest, but could be found no where on the ground. The mother nor the children seemed to care what had happened to the others. The law of Nature was in effect, for the strongest (and biggest) were the survivors, and mama only had so many worms to pass around. No pity came from the creatures. It was just the way things were. During this same time, I began to pay closer attention to my own little Lhasa Apso girl, Jia Tu. Now 14 years of age (or 98 in human terms), she seems to want to sleep about 23.5 hours a day, and be within smelling distance from me, or if she’s feeling remotely insecure, insists on having at least part of her body in contact with mine. Recently, she’s begun to lose her eye sight, (years ago she had begun to lose her sight, but by some Christmas miracle, regained full vision) and thus feeling even more insecure than she has ever been. At times, I feel almost guilty if I have to leave for a day or two to head out of town to conduct business for my book and the upcoming film, as I hear the report from Jean about how Jia would be wandering all over the house or yard; her nose working overtime trying to find me, finally giving up as she’d whimper into a corner somewhere to rest from the ordeal. And nearly on a daily basis, as I thank God for giving Jia Tu to me for as long as He has, I also have to tell myself that it’s just a matter of time before the cycle of her life will come to an end, and my heart will break at the loss. I’ve never had a dog last as long as Jia has. In fact, somewhere during her life, she has ceased being a dog to becoming my little girl. We’ve been through so much together; the two of us as well as her mother, Hanzhu, who’s been dead over six years now. Jean says I’ve spoiled her too much. She has the best food (for a dog that is, as serving her people food would be a sure way to end her life sooner), the best doctor care, the full run of the house and yard; heat in the Winter; a fan (and sometimes air conditioning) in the Summer. Her bowl is always filled with filtered water, and there are enough biscuits for a daily snack. Not to mention people pampering (Jean) when I’m away, and on those rare occasions when Jean and I are both out of town somewhere, Jia always gets a sitter that she has to approve of (I’m a great observer when friends and visitors stop by the house to see how they interact with Jia. If she’s comfortable with them, which is rare, then I make a mental note of it for a future sitter’s job). I sometimes wonder how I’ve become so insane and obsessed over this old puppy, and all I can think about is the love and loyalty she has given me over the years. The joy I feel when I walk in the door after I’ve been gone for hours or days, and there she is waiting with wagging tail, wanting to be picked up and held in my arms so that she can smothered me with kisses. I joke about this with Jean, saying that if she ever decided to greet me with a wag of her tail and kisses whenever I walked in the door, we’d have a much better relationship that we already have... As a matter of fact, come to think of it, she did try that once. Jia looked at her real strange (Jean made her way to me before Jia Tu could get to me), and after the ordeal was over, I had to break the news to Jean that it just wasn’t the same, and that perhaps we should stick to the old routine. She was happy to oblige, but likes to remind me from time-to-time that, you love that dog more than me. Women... The circle of life. We’re born and then die. And in the span of time given to us by our Creator, we’re given a purpose, if we open up and listen with our hearts and minds. Jia Tu’s purpose has been to love me completely without thought to herself. Jean has been a great supporter of my dreams, as well as my closest, dearest and most trusted friend. I shall have a very large hole where my heart is now during my remaining years on this earth when they eventually cease to be. But as I always like to remind myself, Thank God for Jesus Christ! Because of Him as my Saviour, I know where I’m going for eternity and with whom I’ll be able to share my endless time with. The baby birds are getting bigger now. Their feathers turning from a gray to a blue like their mother. Now they stare at me as their mother was doing just a short time ago. They’ve already begun to flap their wings, just itching to leave the comfort and security of their nest and try them out. As I continue to observe them, I like to think of God’s grand plan in all of this, and how He watches and cares enough about these birds, that I, His child, really don’t have anything to worry about. That’s a comforting thought I can keep with me as I continue on my life’s path. Until Next Month, Kevin |
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nations increase, others diminish, and in a short space
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