Category Archives: Death & Dying

Welcome Home

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Doc Arnett

An extended family greeting at an airport reminded me of the joy we will one experience at the Great Reunion in Heaven. Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Relationships, Resurrection/Return, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged airport reunion, family, joy, life, missing someone, prodigal, return, reunion | Comments Off

Assisted Living

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Doc Arnett

I sat in the waiting area,
pretending not to see the residents
doing their physical therapy.

Contemplations of aging and blessing… while visiting a neighbor in an assisted living center. Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Poetic Contemplations, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged aging, assistend living, infirmity, old folks, physical therapy, visiting, worry | Comments Off

In Memory of Jerry Rich

Posted on January 14, 2026 by Doc Arnett

I’m not gonna say that when the Good Lord made Jerry Rich, He broke the mold. But I will say that I don’t think He used it very often after that. Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Death & Dying, Family, Profiles, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged Arkansas City KS, cancer, Cowley County KS, disability, family, farrier, hoof trimming, horses, horseshoe, Jerry Rich, Norma Rich, rodeos, Sally Palmer, south central Kansas | Comments Off

Sad news on a rainy day gives way to a brief interlude of beauty in mid-afternoon. Rising mists after a storm lead to the forming reminder of God’s grace and the intercession of the Spirit with “groanings too deep for words.” Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Death & Dying, Metaphysical Reflection, Nature, Poetic Contemplations, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged beauty, Christ, comfort, creek, death, Donna Ganger, faith, fog, grief, hope, intercession of the Spirit, Jesus, mist, mourning, murder, nature, Peter's Creek, Renee Good, sadness, tragedy, woods | Comments Off

Empty Plates & Empty Chairs

Posted on December 23, 2025 by Doc Arnett

For most, holidays bring a mix of joy and tears. Embrace both, give thanks for the good, seek healing for each loss, do not let the Past rob you of Today’s joy. Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Death & Dying, Family, food, Poetic Contemplations, Poetry, Relationships, Resurrection/Return, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged Christmas, comfort, faith, family, gifts, gratitude, grief, healing, holidays, hope, Jesus, joy, love, peace, resurrection, reunion, sadness, stockings, Thanksgiving | Comments Off

The Farrier’s Passing

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Doc Arnett

In the twilight shadows below a great cottonwood tree, we fed the horses and remembered the farrier who had tended to their feet for us. Continue reading →

Posted in Death & Dying, Farming, Poetic Contemplations, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation, Work | Tagged autumn, cancer, death, dying, farrier, feeding horses, horse, horses, Lewis Johnson, moon, moonlight, moonrise, ranching, trees | Comments Off

Tough Transitions

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Doc Arnett

While I don’t know of a good way to lose a loved one to death, some are certainly worse than others. In all cases, God’s grace and mercy sustain us. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Spiritual Contemplation, suffering | Tagged cancer, comfort, death, dying, faith, grief, hope, life, loss, love, protracted suffering, tragedy, trauma | Comments Off

A Mid-Summer’s Memory

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Doc Arnett

The eruption of pastel trumpets on long slender tubes of green reminds me of my father’s passing, sixteen years ago. Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Death & Dying, Family, Farming, Gardening, Nature, Poetic Contemplations, Poetry, Relationships, Remodeling/Construction, Spiritual Contemplation, Work | Tagged casket, Charlie Arnett, death, dying, farming, flowers, gardening, life, Nakes Ladies, shrine, Surprise Lilies, tribute | Comments Off

The Brother We Never Knew

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Doc Arnett

My oldest brother lived only a few hours. For fifty years, he was un-named and lay in a tiny grave marked only by a small metal marker that said, “Arnett-Infant Son.” Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Death & Dying, Family, Poetic Contemplations, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged anniversary of death, Arnett, baby grave, Charlie Arnett, family, grief, infant death, life, loss, love, marker, Reuben Arnett, Ruby Arnett, siblings, sorrow, west Kentucky | Comments Off

Black Sabbath-II

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Doc Arnett

A reflection on the hopelessness the disciples experienced on the day after the death of the Messiah… and before his promised resurrection. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Death & Dying, Poetic Contemplations, Poetry, Resurrection/Return, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged after the burial, aloneness, before the resurrection, day of mouring, death of Christ, death of Jesus, despair, faith, grief, heartache, mourning, promise, prophecy | Comments Off