Tag Archives: Death & Dying

I cannot reconcile the extremes in this world; the beauty of the hawk circling the sky, the grace of the snake sliding through the grass, the culmination of life and death as the Red Tailed hawk swoops down from her dance and grasps the garter snake in her talons, eagerly ending its life and joining its essence to her own.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) panelists will discuss the realities of the death penalty.

The discussion begins at 6:30 p.m. at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.

The Rev. Martin Elfert, author of our Father Knows Best column, has been prompted to write two posts about suicide recently.

His posts come at a time when suicides are making headlines.

Kris died at age 8 in 1986, when a car hit him on the way to school. Kourt died about 10 years later, at age 17, killing himself amid depression and the still-stinging absence of his older brother.

Six months ago I wrote about the death of my father — a man I hardly knew, yet whose passing I grieved. Today I pen about the loss of a second parent — the one who stepped in when dad walked out.

It was with a heavy heart that I recently read about a young lady who chose suicide because of the behavior of others — including those that did not believe her and, therefore, did not prosecute those that violated her. More and more it seems we don’t recognize and honor the boundaries of others, be they male or female, and sometimes even go to the extent of causing verbal or bodily harm, adding further insult by later bragging about our actions.