Two weeks ago tonight, our son Thomas passed from this earth into the light and peace of God's heavenly realms. It seems somehow like much longer ago. So much is taking place in our hearts, our minds, our bodies. We are so thankful to be able to sleep. And to walk outdoors with the sun in our hair. And to eat. And to cook. Thomas loved to cook, and his presence came near in the kitchen tonight as I cooked supper for Michal and me after T'ai Chi.

We miss Thomas intensely. The pictures we have gathered all around us in the living room tell what a courageous and joyful life he lived, moment by moment. On his last day, Thomas was dreaming of more moments--living onward, with his beloved partner, Anna, returning to T'ai Chi, adopting a greyhound to share his walks as he recovered from the heart surgery he was about to schedule. We dearly wish Thomas had had many more moments... a long stretch of years to come. When he took his afternoon nap, though, he had just had a laughter-filled lunch with Anna, and he knew how very much he is loved.

Tonight it finally occurred to us that we may have been doing T'ai Chi in class at the moment Thomas passed from this world to the next. He was so happy to hear that we had begun T'ai Chi, and that from the very first night we had found its pathways into centeredness and serenity.

Thomas is near, and we give thanks for his shining presence. As John O'Donohue writes in Eternal Echoes, "From their side, our friends in the unseen world are always secretly embracing us in their new and bright belonging."