Sitting in my absolute favorite quiet spot, thinking, front of my four favorite headstones. Meditating. Observing. Taking photos. Being with my own spirit. I began to think, my favorite place, with so many skeletons, made of bones underneath me, and I too have bones inside me… I then thought what a weird thing to think- bones inside me. Are they inside me, or am I also my bones? What does “inside me” mean? Where does the “me” begin or end? Does it begin with the most distal layer of my skin? Or does it extend to the energy that surrounds my physical body? Am I a spirit, that operates and exerts a presence in the world through the conduction of electrical impulses of thought and motion and emotion. In the absence of my bones, and electrical impulses, what am I? Before and after them, what does it look like to exist? I wonder if the owners of these headstones ever thought about the impact they would have on life, as their lives and deaths and their final resting place for their bones are now one of my most peaceful spots to be alive. A place where I come to reflect to bear witness to my own thoughts and emotions as I quietly observe them jump around in my human body, sometimes smoothly, sometimes coherently, and sometimes without seeming rhyme or reason. I am connected to their bones, and beneath this earth that gives us life and receives us after it is done. I did not know them, but I wonder what their lives may have been. As I sit here in my curiosity and wonder, the phrase from another headstone I passed on my way to this sacred spot, comes to mind. Just the word, “Loved.”  To me, this connection I have to these bones, makes me realize that the connection I have to my body, soul, and spirit, is “loved,” as is my connection to the humans in my life. Whether we crossed paths for a moment, or our connection is something stronger and longer lasting, I hope you know that you are “loved” by me, and our connection has meant something to me, and impacts me in ways I cannot always express. I am learning to love, and to allow myself to be “loved,” because of these connections, each interaction that has brought me to this very moment in my life. My emotions today are stormy, but I am connected, and I am grateful for the strength in my spirit  and yours, and for all of these bones.  I hope the impact I have on those who take a chance to know me is one that helps them learn what it is to be “loved,” and when I am gone, I hope if there is anything to be said about me, it might be as simple as “She loved.”