NOTE FROM SUZANNE: THE FOLLOWING IS NOT FROM SANAYA. THIS IS A WONDERFUL STORY GIVEN TO ME BY MY FRIEND, NITA. WE DO NOT KNOW THE SOURCE OF THIS THOUGHT-PROVOKING ALLEGORY, BUT IT’S TOO GREAT NOT TO SHARE. ENJOY, THEN COME BACK AND ENJOY SANAYA WITH ME EACH MORNING:
Once upon a time, twin boys were conceived. Weeks passed and the twins developed in the womb. As their awareness grew, they laughed for joy: joy for their conception and joy to be alive. Time passed and they began to explore the womb. When they found the cord that led to their mother and gave them life, they exclaimed, “Wow! What a great mother that she gives us life!”
Weeks became months, and they both grew. It got tight in there, and there was an intermittent squeezing that got uncomfortable and frightening. The twins noticed how much each was changing. “What does this mean?” one asked. The other said, “It means that our stay in this world is coming to an end.” “But I don’t want to go!” one said. “But maybe there’s life after birth!” the other replied. “But how can that be? We will lose the cord, and how is life possible without it? Besides, we have seen evidence that others have been here before us, and none have returned to tell us that there is life after birth. No, this is the end.” And the one twin became despondent. “If conception ends in birth, what’s the purpose of life in the womb? It’s meaningless! Maybe there is no mother at all!” “But there has to be,” the other replied. “How else did we get here? How do we remain alive? Have you ever seen our mother?” the first twin asked. “Maybe she lives only in our minds. Maybe we made her up, because the idea made us feel good.”
So, the last days in the womb were different for each of the twins. One twin worried constantly, lived in fear and deep questioning. The other had faith and trust and waited expectantly. At the time of birth, the twins opened their eyes and found a world beyond their wildest dreams. They cried and their family smiled.
It has been said that at a good birth, when the baby cries, the family smiles. At a good death, the family cries and the dying one smiles.