Animals in Spirit (Penelope Smith)

Have you ever had an experience with a book that literally leapt off the shelf at you? I find this happens to me quite a lot, and it's remarkably uncanny just how much the book holds meaning to my current situation. This week, after the sad loss of our family dog Dexter a fortnight ago, Animals in Spirit was the book that sprung out at me, and this poem from within sang so true to me that I just have to share it. For anyone who has lost a beloved pet, or who has a special animal that they hold dear in their lives, this one is a must-read.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sun on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awake in morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there. I did not die