Nov 20, 2022

  Living in Unconditional Love (89)

“Love flows from God to humans without effort:

As a bird glides through the air without moving its wings-

Thus, they go wherever they wish united in body and soul,

Yet separate in form.”

–Mechtild of Magdeburg

 

My wife Eileen died from esophageal cancer in February 2020 one year after being diagnosed, 60 years to the day that we met on Long Island. Then my brother Tom became ill, and I spent a total of six weeks being with him in Ohio, but he died in October 2020. My sister-in-law Sue Mahoney died from Covid-19 in January 2021. On top of it all stood the pandemic, locking everyone down almost two years, and even though it is abating, I wear my mask anytime I am out among people, unlike many.

11/20/2022                             November has long been considered a remembrance month, a month where the living joins with those who have left us to see and feel the flow of life, from generations past to generations future. This month has certainly been that for me, from hours spent pondering the gifts I have been given in my family, to tending the grave site and planting daffodils, to spending times with the future generation just starting the long (or short, depending where one is) road of life that will have many surprises, joys, and sorrows buried within. I feel blessed beyond measure to have lived the life I have and to be able to bask in the joy of life that still beckons me forward.

One of books I read each morning contains 365 prayers from many sources, and sometimes they move me to tears of joy and remembrance in their intensity. This month’s prayers have centered around the mystery of death, and two especially struck me forcefully. I may have shared them before, and I will share one this week and one next week, and maybe still another one I found. Yes, Thanksgiving is here, and I deeply give thanks for the life I have been given.

The book is Life Prayers: From Around the World 365 Prayers by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon.

 

We remember them

 

In the rising of the sun and in its going down,

         We remember them.

 

In the blowing of the wind and the chill of Winter,

         We remember them.

 

In the opening of buds and the rebirth of Spring,

         We remember them.

 

In the blueness of the sky and the warmth of Summer,

         We remember them.

 

In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of Autumn,

         We remember them.

 

In the beginning of the year and when it ends,

         We remember them.

 

When we are weary and in need of strength,

         We remember them.

 

When we are lost and sick of heart

         We remember them

 

When we have joys we yearn to share,

         We remember them.

 

So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are now a part of us,

         As we remember them.

 

——A Jewish Prayer

 

Those who have gone from this life are not gone but live on in our memories and thoughts. Our spouses, parents, siblings, grandparents, and so on, live on as part and parcel of who we are , hopefully still enlarging our life, but even if we never saw or met our ancestors, they are part of providing the gene pool that determines who we are, back to the beginning of humanity and even further. I have so many friends who have left, many through the invisible door of death but so many that have crossed my path for a time and then we have been separated by life events. I do not know if they are still present in this life or not and will not know until I join that world. Yet at times as I ponder my life, I can see their faces and thank God for those moments we had together.

Winter is here, so stay warm and safe.

Meditation

Gentle One, I rest in You, pondering life as mine is dwindling but still wonderful and joyful. Watching the snow swirl around and the temperature plunge (not sure if it got above 31 today) helps me to face life and beyond with acceptance. My meditation times are centered on being grateful and accepting life as it unfolds for me, each day. I am truly awed by the love I have been surrounded by all my life, and hopefully I will be able to pass it on to those who will follow me.