Ridiculous or Sublime?

 

sublime - adjective - of such excellence, grandeur, and beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe (Google).

Tragically, a close friend of mine and former lost her soulmate a few weeks ago. He passed away suddenly while reposing at home, a brightly painted ranch house on a lagoon. Since his death, my friend has become more open to possibilities related to the afterlife. In fact, she feels as though her husband might have been reincarnated as a swan, a theory that many erudite pundits on life after death would consider to be ridiculous rather than sublime. 

Personally, I feel that nothing beyond our comprehension could be ludicrous because after all, we only know what is before our faces. Although we have plenty of ancient tomes dedicated to conveying religious philosophies and prophecies and plenty of predictors in the way of the occult sciences, we have no hard evidence as to what happens to us after we expire. Everything is up to conjecture and debate until we depart ourselves. 

Today, my friend texted me hard evidence of her speculation: multiple photographs of sublime swans that have been visiting her dock regularly and mysteriously ever since her man's spirit left her.  I must admit that their unlikely, random appearances do seem uncanny. After seeing one image of a single, male swan, I texted back that her husband never looked so good and that he is no doubt still with her, no matter what form he should choose to take. Her final reply was a smiley-face meme blowing kisses and hearts my way. Obviously, we understand each other quite well. In the end, whatever you can do or say to a grieving soul that will mitigate the pain of loss is a very good thing. There is no place for judgement in this sort of situation. 

For my friend and those of us who dare to recognize the sublime, a reminder:

"...the simple act of noticing the awe of existence, the staggering marvel of the world and its order. Awe moves us to a silent expression of gratitude and wonder." -Dr. B. S. Artson

Nothing ridiculous here. 

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