Friday, the start of the weekend and that means absolutely nothing to me anymore. Funny how as circumstances change what was important to us at one time just doesn’t have the same effect anymore.
I was very blessed to officiate at a graveside service today for a friend’s wife. It had been a few months since her death, but it was very fresh and present for those who were close to her, especially her children and grandchildren. It was important to have an opportunity to honour her and say goodbye especially since it had been so difficult with the Covid restrictions when she died.
Everything has certainly changed for her family; I’m sure some of the things that had been so important while she was with them now feel so very surreal without her. That is the way of our comings and goings. Some changes are welcome, some feel forced upon us and we either accept them or resist and add to our pain and grief.
I wonder what it would be like in our culture if we truly accepted the seasons of our lives and the inevitability of death on a heart level… Would we be able to grieve our losses and the changes that take place in a healthier way, then go on more readily to live our lives with grace and gratitude? I wonder what it would take for the collective to make that kind of shift? I’m much better at it than I was and I’m sure there’s more to embrace, and I’ve seen others come to terms with the ebb and flow of life, but I must say it does not appear to be the norm for most.
I have spent time contemplating my death and that has been a healthy thing for me. It is a spiritual practice in some faith traditions to do that and I think it would benefit us all to face those fears and fantasies as they seem to underlie so much of our resistance to life and the pain and suffering that ensues.
Also, when I’ve followed some of the fears and beliefs I have held down to their core, I inevitably have come to the deep-seated fear that I would die. That was very revealing to me because it was then that I could see clearly how false those beliefs were and release them.
Whether I live or die, I am much freer when I face the truth.
Namaste
