Personal reflection by Loes van Damme-Rietvelt
When I look at this painting, I feel deeply saddened.
I see a dying soldier who wants to say goodbye one last time to his horse, his companion with whom he has shared so much.
But at the same time, I see an enormous amount of love.
The horse seems to understand what is happening. Animals often appear to sense things that cannot be explained in words. It bends its head towards the man, while the man reaches out to touch it.
There is no need for words between them.
Perhaps that is what moves me most. The horse is not simply an animal standing beside his bed. To me, it feels as though an old friend has come to visit him for the last time.
It is a meeting between two friends.
And that makes me think of today.
Even now, when people are nearing the end of their lives, there may be one last thing they desperately wish to do. To see the sea once more. To return to a place that has meant everything to them. To attend an important family moment. Or perhaps, just like the man in this painting, to see a beloved animal one final time.
Today there are organisations, volunteers and specially equipped ambulances that make such final wishes possible, even when someone is very ill and can no longer travel in the usual way.
I think we cannot thank these people enough.
They do not cure the person. They cannot change what is going to happen.
But they can give someone something else: one last precious moment, one last goodbye, and perhaps the peace to let go.
Sometimes a final goodbye is also a final gift of love.