This piece is weighty with meaning and beauty. And that line "Will your absence fill the room with warmth"... ugh... that hit hard. This is masterfully written! I've had to read it three times now to soak it all up, which I happily did.

You know, I've thought about this for a long time, probably since I was 5 years old. Only in the last couple of years did I come to a soft conclusion about death/life, what's it all mean, what happens after, etc.

I think the most important thing any one of us can do in this life is work on bringing peace to our hearts. So much of life/death is a mystery, but being here now, with peaceful hearts is real, something we can all do no matter our background, beliefs, etc. And if that peace translates to something after death, then great, but if not, then at least we had peaceful hearts that we could share with each other while alive.

I just think it's so important. Anyway, your piece put me on a rant, sorry about that.

Wonderful writing!! Thanks so much for sharing this.