At year’s end, it’s common to look back and take stock.
Earlier this month, I attended my aunt’s funeral. Cousins, their children and grandchildren, and others came from coast to coast to this unique gathering. (When will we ever be together again?) With ages ranging from preschool to 90’s, our family stood as a testament to compassion, forgiveness, and love.
Earlier this month, I attended my aunt’s funeral. Cousins, their children and grandchildren, and others came from coast to coast to this unique gathering. (When will we ever be together again?) With ages ranging from preschool to 90’s, our family stood as a testament to compassion, forgiveness, and love.
As I became reacquainted and newly acquainted with those around me, I marveled at how each has navigated their own path. We told stories of shared pasts and offered new tales as well. We looked at pictures and remembered those no longer with us. And we celebrated the one, recently passed, who had brought us together.
How I wished I had called more often, written or visited.
And now it’s too late…the heartbreak of regret.
I left that gathering knowing more about myself, being made more complete by all that was shared (spoken and unspoken): pain, joy, grief, and hilarity.
Funerals, more than weddings or reunions, are the moments when time stops and the eternal beckons…when we gather together and ride that mystical wave that connects us. And each of us, in our own marvelous way, recognizes the tragic, yet meaningful beyond words, nature of things. We revere the moment and feel honored to be part of it.
So, as I look back – even if only a few weeks – and take stock, I’m reminded of John Hall Wheelock’s words: to have lived even if only once, once and no more, will have been – oh, how truly – worth it.
Quote
Forgiveness received or extended creates joy. Brother Alois Loser
Web
Enjoy John Hall Wheelock’s poem, Dear Men and Women (read now)
How I wished I had called more often, written or visited.
And now it’s too late…the heartbreak of regret.
I left that gathering knowing more about myself, being made more complete by all that was shared (spoken and unspoken): pain, joy, grief, and hilarity.
Funerals, more than weddings or reunions, are the moments when time stops and the eternal beckons…when we gather together and ride that mystical wave that connects us. And each of us, in our own marvelous way, recognizes the tragic, yet meaningful beyond words, nature of things. We revere the moment and feel honored to be part of it.
So, as I look back – even if only a few weeks – and take stock, I’m reminded of John Hall Wheelock’s words: to have lived even if only once, once and no more, will have been – oh, how truly – worth it.
Quote
Forgiveness received or extended creates joy. Brother Alois Loser
Web
Enjoy John Hall Wheelock’s poem, Dear Men and Women (read now)
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