A cousin I was close to in childhood passed away this week. I’m sad to have lost touch, but glad to know he isn’t suffering any longer.
And, so, nature continues her cycles of instruction, not so gentle reminders of impermanence.
Life is transient, here and gone, like a snowfall, an icicle, a fragile bird nest, a leaf in the sun, like these brilliantly chilly days of winter. . .
More verbal images: “temporariness, transitoriness, impermanence, brevity, briefness, shortness, ephemerality, short-livedness, momentariness, mutability, instability, volatility, evanescence.”
Friendly Freethinker 
Beautiful thoughts. I wish you and your family the best as you recover from your painful loss.
Thanks, Josh.
Very sad when a loved one dies, though I agree it is hard to want them to continue to live if they are in constant pain. Life is indeed so brief. Beautiful images. The leaf one especially holds my attention because I just feeling the beauty of another brief natural lightening–that of 2 towering palms’ fronds waving like magnesium flares because of the sunshine on them. Another moment of beauty in these chaotic and difficult times. Thanks for another one of your brief meditations about life and beauty.
Thanks, Daniel, we sure need those “moments of beauty” in our time. Be well.
I’m so sorry to see this, Chris…. there’s something magical about cousins. Piling up the impermanence images is so evocative….
Winter’s sympathetic sublimating blanket of snow helps I hope, and your interactions that are there for keeps. Very deep sympathy!
Thank you for the kindness.