What is death?

My spiritual guide and teacher, Rev. Dr. Elma Lumsden, made her transition on Sunday night. I celebrate this transition, even whilst feeling a tinge of sadness that her physical presence is no longer with us. But I know that she lives on through her teaching and the impact she has had on my life. Rumi says it better than I do:

On the day I die, don’t weep.
Don’t say she’s gone.
Death has nothing to do with going away.
The moon sets and the sun sets,
but they’re not gone.
Death is a coming together.
The human seed goes down into the ground
like a bucket,
and comes up with some unimaginable beauty!
Your mouth closes here
and immediately opens
with a shout of joy there!