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From dust we came and dust we shall return

Most of us hold dear the things captured by this life, our deepest thoughts, wishes, prayers and dreams; things we share with those we love. However, there is no exchange of sentiment when you hold a box of ashes, for they are just ashes; no longer the person you loved; only a box and memories unable to give anything in return.  
From dust we came and dust we shall return.
New and pure meaning comes to those words after you have held the ashes of someone you love, felt them, grabbed them, cupped them in your hands, allowed them to sift through your fingers and gazed at the white ashen color left on your skin.  It’s a powerful experience that will leave you vulnerable to the realities of life.  If you’ve never seen cremated remains, I suggest you do.  It brings a reverence to life that can be achieved in no other way and requires that you acquiesce to the ultimate power of death.  The realization is we will all become nothing more than ashes and dust.  Free to fly we will float in the silent winds and lie on mountain tops, sift to the bottom of the hills and slide into the shore; on silver wings and crystal rain, we will all become but one with this earth.
"Falling off the face of the Earth"

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