Category Archives: Death & Dying

Grizzly Encounter

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Doc Arnett

They first saw the grizzly, upwind and upslope of them, from nearly a half-mile away. They knew right away it had seen them, too. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Metaphysical Reflection, Nature, Spiritual Contemplation, Sports | Tagged Alaskan, angels, bear attack, caribou, caribou hunting, close call, danger, deliverance, grizzly, grizzly encounter, hunting, rainbow | Comments Off

Finishing Touches

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Doc Arnett

Two months ago,
our grey roan Foxtrotter mare
seemed more than ready
for another season of trails
and training grandkids to groom and ride.
Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Farming, Metaphysical Reflection, Nature, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged disease, euthanasia, euthinizing horse, foxtrotter, mare, old horse, putting down horse, vet, veterinarian | Comments Off

Of Wind and Work

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Doc Arnett

On the morning of her last day,
I tried to mulch the newly seeded lawn
on the west side of the house Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Gardening, Metaphysical Reflection, Nature, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation, Work | Tagged Betty Prescher, landscaping, mulching, seeding grass, straw | Comments Off

Gettin’ Ready

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Doc Arnett

I’ve held the hands
of those whose final hours
were upon them,
prayed with their families
in that time of groaning and grieving. Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Metaphysical Reflection, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged acceptance, comfort, grieving, loss | Comments Off

The Pastor’s Visit

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Doc Arnett

She’s in remarkably good health for a dying woman:
nothing really hurts,
everything else works
with both mind and body.
Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Metaphysical Reflection, Nature, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged lung disease, lung function, pastoral counseling, shut-in | 1 Comment

Faith, Fear & the Nearness of Eternity

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Doc Arnett

In the howling chillness of the night,
a thin skin of ice formed
un-smoothly on the surface
of the rainwater tub. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Metaphysical Reflection, Nature, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged attitude, bombing, Boston, Boston Marathon, choices, fertilizer plant explosion, response, self-pity, Texas, West | Comments Off

Boston Marathon, 2013

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Doc Arnett

Shards of smoke and fire,
a burning blasting of glass and metal,
yells of horror:
a shock wave of disbelief Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Metaphysical Reflection, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation, Sports | Tagged aid, bomb, Boston Marathon, courage, helping, love, marathon, response, running, terrorism, triage | Comments Off

Fashion Statement

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Doc Arnett

The last time I shaved my chin
was for my mother’s eightieth birthday; Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Humor, Metaphysical Reflection, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged beard, changing looks, getting old, goatee, shaving, wrinkles | 2 Comments

A Passing in the Night

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Doc Arnett

A dusting of snow
glows on the grass
beneath the light
mounted on the pole
in the neighbor’s yard. Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Metaphysical Reflection, Nature, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged death, dying, elderly, night, passing away, snow | Comments Off

Compromise

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Doc Arnett

At ninety,
when his kidneys began to fail,
he decided he was tired of the fighting,
tired of the tooth and nail,
tired of what it takes
to hold on to this world. Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Metaphysical Reflection, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged aging, choices, dialysis, dying, gangrene, kidney failure, surgery | Comments Off