"I was just dreaming about white birds."
My dear brother, Jonathon, brightly greeted me with these words, sharing comfort and love, not sadness, as I entered his room for our last visit together. He so bravely faced ALS, his faith in God strong and steady. When asked how he bore such suffering for so long with such quiet dignity, he simply said, "by God's grace." As was his sweet nature, he lovingly gifted each of his "dear ones" with one last shared joyous embrace in this life.
Last night, I dreamed of the Gulf of Mexico. But, for the first time, the Gulf of Mexico I dreamed of was poisoned and dying, the crests of the waves not white, but brown. Now I have lost the once beautiful Gulf of Mexico even in my dreams.