Dear Body,
 
I did not honor the agility, unlimited energy and vibrancy of your youth until it was gone. I did not honor your beauty, sensuality and sexual aliveness of your maiden years until it was gone. I spent years in non appreciation of you, tried to fix you through artificial means, thinking it was your fault I didn’t love myself. Spent the following several years in self hatred for betraying you.
 
Spent the next several years trying to rectify my past relationship with you through the food I have fed you, hoping in some small way this was enough. I feel your appreciation for this level of care as I approach the auspicious passage of my 60th birthday.
 
You have overcome all my ignorance's and continue to give me the ability to wake up every morning pain free with enough energy to do my hiking, gardening, dancing, living. However, am I truly honoring you enough?
 
You have selflessly walked with me through every step of my journey in this life, even though I have taken you for granted. Your resilience that has enabled me to come to this 60th year is no longer lost on me.
 
I have traveled enough miles now to gain enough wisdom to know that the day will come when I have to say goodbye to you, my dearest friend that has stood by me no matter what.
 
Without you I could not take this sacred journey, experience the many twists and turns, pleasures and pains that has allowed me to grow and evolve as a soul. Without you I could not experience myself as an expression of the Divine.

I honor my role as steward of your health knowing that every morsel of nourishment I offer you comes from our Beloved Divine Mother.
 
You are made of her, you carry her wisdom, and you obviously carry her compassion. I will honor each breath you take knowing it has been given as a gift from spirit, so that I may know myself.
 
Instead of waiting until I have moved onto the next phase of my journey that does not include you I am choosing on this day, and every day to give you thanks and treat you as the Divine gift you are in every way. I will listen to your wisdom, honor your intelligence, offer you rest and care as you carry me to your last breath.
 
And, I will celebrate you and never ever consider you “less than” because our time together is temporary. Instead I will cherish every moment we have together, “because,” our time together is temporary.
 
Your grateful best friend,
Mary