Funerals – finitude, the great equalizer

I’ve been to so many funerals recently. Part of it is about my age, but part of it is just the stressful times we live in. Some of these people died “before their time“.

Of all the things that are true of human life, the fact that we will all die is the great equalizer. Each time I attend a funeral, I am struck by this. Neither you nor I can escape that some day our lives will end.

Look, I don’t intend to be grim here. I’m just telling you what I’ve noticed because of what’s happening in my life. Funerals are a great awakening for me.

Equal

At least one of these recent funerals was for someone who had apparently died by suicide and while alive worked with people who identify as suicidal. Life can be scary. There’s no doubt about that.

And people who work with folks who could want to end their own lives may sometimes get too close to the questions of finitude. A wake up call is good every so often. Without it we may become complacent or numb.

May we all find more reasons every day to be alive and to propel ourselves towards what we love. To do anything less is to begin to die anyway.

Finitude

Each day that I am alive is a reminder that a lifetime is not a long time. If we put off what we love for too long, we may miss it altogether. Don’t skip a day (in your heart, mind, emotions, or relationships) unless you’ve had all you can handle.

Blessed be the life we live while we are alive. And may the beauty you seek be present in your everyday life.