Thoughts about the loss of other sentient beings

The sad fact as I approach the end of my sixth full decade on the planet is that there’s an accumulation of losses that can’t be passed by without comment. Most of us grew up seeing our parents and even our grandparents as constants of nature; physical death had very little relevance to our worlds.  Into late Teenagedom, I recall losing Grandpa —actually a step-grandfather who was the kindest, brightest, internally strongest man I’ve ever known.  And how did I react?  I didn’t attend the funeral because I couldn’t accept death into my psychological universe! Continue reading →