We all face death; the loss of loved family members and friends.

In the last couple of years some of these deaths have been very untimely.

Like most people I have not been unaffected by this.

We all have our own way of coping.

I am glad to have the perspective of my faith to help me and, in case it helps anyone else, I would like to share the following words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

“To consider that the spirit perishes upon the death of the body is to imagine that a bird imprisoned in a cage would perish if the cage were to be broken.

The body is even as the cage and the spirit is like the bird: We observe that the bird, unencumbered by its cage, soars freely.

Therefore, should the cage be broken, the bird would not only continue to exist but its senses would be heightened, its perception would be expanded, and its joy would grow more intense.”

My mother was one of those who died during lockdown.

The difficulties involved added to both her distress and the distress of the family.

She became very frail, her body failed.

Believing that her soul lives on, that like the bird it would not only be freed from mortal constraints but be able to soar, has been of comfort to me.

Bahá’ís believe the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose mystery no mind can ever hope to unravel.

Liz Grove

Kendal

Bahá’í Group