Emily Dickinson wrote:
"Dying is a wild night and a new road."
Sandy's diagnosis of breast cancer came only 8 months ago. The wild night has been short by some standards but the new road has not afforded any resting areas.
Even so,
Sandy's courage in the face of cancer that could be seen, her determination in the face of cancer that was growing
out of control,
her hope in the face of cancer
that granted no remission
taught folk important lessons about this leg of the journey of life. The steady, dependable, comforting stream of women to accompany Sandy in this wild night, albeit vicariously, was an enormous gift to her. Though she found it difficult to admit belief in a Higher Power (which some might call God), she none the less opened herself to the way in which Holy, Sacred Power came to her through the lives of those of you who shared your healing touch, your gracious energy, your sustaining presence. Certainly, through all of you, Sandy knew about being supported and upheld as if on eagles' wings.
In mythology, the eagle was thought to renew its strength and vigor by flying as close to the sun as possible and the plunging into the depths of the waters. Herman Melville wrote in one of his books about individuals who have
"an eagle in their soul that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces."
I have a sense that Sandy was such an eagle soul person. Then, when she needed strength and vigor and couldn't muster it alone, you all came and shared your eagles' wings with her.
When the ancient Israelite prophet, Isaiah, wrote about God supporting and sustaining the Hebrew people, the image of rising about earthly troubles on wings like eagles was a fitting one. In truth, I believe that what you, friends and family, have done in the past 8 months is to incarnate God for Sandy and make it possible for her to live into her dying with the understanding that she was
never alone,
held fast in a love that would not let go, important beyond any calculating.
As we listen to Lonnie sing the Isaiah 40 passage, have an image in your mind's eye of Sandy, freed now to soar beyond pain and suffering, accessible to you in new ways, never again weak, always strong in you heart and memory.
"ON EAGLES' WINGS"
I