Good morning…
“I appreciate your efforts in presenting the ‘Living Fully – Dying Well’ series,” she emailed me after we finished our six-week series on peacefully attending to various facets of the final season of life. On the last week we each brought symbols of loved ones who have gone ahead of us to heaven. A funny bow tie. Meaningful jewelry. A blue bird figurine. An original sash from the women’s suffrage movement. Handwritten recipe cards. A serenity angel. A broken shelled necklace. A small wooden cross. A copper butterfly. A favorite candy bar. A pewter pineapple. A beloved art book with a husband’s cherished signature. Framed pictures of smiling friends and family members. We placed our symbols on an “ofrenda” or colorful altar, as they do in Mexico, to honor the people remembered, telling stories of the enduring love passed on by our dearly loved ones.
“I read somewhere,” continued her thank you note, “that the Native Americans believe each person has three deaths. The first is when the body ceases to function. The second is when the spirit leaves the body. The third is when the memory of that person is forgotten.”
“Wow, that is beautiful,” I replied. “Maybe in remembering we connect to the eternal life for which we are all designed. God’s unending love comes alive “on earth as it is in heaven” as we share the love we have received from our loved ones.”
Because the Lord is good, his loyal love lasts forever; his faithfulness lasts generation after generation (Psalm 100:5, CEB).
…Sue…
