"The dead are not dead if we have loved them truly." - Felix Adler

This is going to be a bit of a downer, but I promise I have a point! However, as a content warning I'm going to be talking about pet death in my update this week. 

On Wednesday night our cat, Pixel, passed. I've always felt like explaining death to kids without the "cheat code" of heaven was doing it on hard mode and that felt very real this week. However, the experience is a reminder of how important connecting in our community and continually reflecting on Ethical Culture is. 

What I most hope to pass on to Josie through our ethical education program, and what I think is so unique to us, is that the present matters. How we treat each other, how we take care of the world around us, and how we move through life matters inherently, not in service of anything else. This is reinforced at how we talk about death. My answers about where Pixel is now may not seem magical or soothing, but they're also unimportant. They distract us from what does have meaning -- the time that we spent with her. 

I appreciate this community today because I'm able to rely on friends for support, get advice that is meaningful and aligns with my values (thank you Melissa for recommending The Tenth Good Thing About Barney!), and remember to stay focused on the things that matter.