Another Major Milestone Met

By the grace of God?  And yet, the very approach of it seems to have muzzled my voice for a month.  

Having passed it, the question is obvious -- from here, wither?  If it were posed to the little ones, the answer given by their parents -- my children -- might be the same one they would drag out for a beloved hound, long past "long in the tooth," if my dental bills are to be trusted -- "It's sad, but we won't be seeing Grandpa any more.  He has been sent to the farm, where he can take walks in the woods, smell the flowers, and watch the sun set behind the green hills.  We will miss him dearly, but he is happy."

That one doesn't work so well for me, on this end of the kaleidoscope.  I see myself pretty clearly at this juncture.  Bearing in mind my acute physical and moral cowardice, I will, no doubt, rage against the ultimate dying of the light to the verge of madness, unless and until I am able to see that the letting go of this crummy carapace represents a liberation and not just a snuffing out.