DEAD OR STILL BEAUTIFUL?

Roses -
given to me a while ago
by a special friend -
but now with crisp, brittle petals and leaves;
lacking lustre and dull,
dead and useless -
or still beautiful?
Should I discard them
or leave them in the vase
so that I can gaze on the beauty
that I still see?
I am tempted to move the vase
and throw the roses on the compost heap
but enjoy looking at them
and marvelling that
not so long ago
they were objects of great beauty
and filled the air with their perfume.

They may now lack spirit,
look bland and uninteresting
but somehow that does not detract
from their beauty -
in fact, for me,
it adds to it.

People we know and love
die and we are sad,
but do we discard and forget them
and all the memories we have -
or do we remember the many times
we have shared with them,
rejoice that our paths have crossed
and pray that we will be better people
for having known them?

His loved ones are very precious to him
and he does not lightly
let them die.
Psalm 116:15
The Living Bible