 | A Brief Reflection on Halloween |
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Last Saturday was Halloween. I watched the revelers pass by in costumes while I waited for friends from church to meet me for dinner. Afterward, we celebrated Halloween by seeing a stage re-enactment of Orson Wells’ War of the Worlds radio drama. It was a great program – very entertaining. And it was also eerily enlightening about how humans face life and mortality when there are people dying nearby. The next morning was Sunday. I got up and went to church where, as do many UU churches, we celebrated Dia de los Meurtos (The Day of the Dead). There was an altar on the chancel with pictures of loved-ones gone by. It is touching that this service, even in its sadness and grief, had an air of celebration about it. Such a communal event can be an opportunity for us to remember those who have died, but who, in their living, have touched our lives. Their memory is worth celebrating. We might still be grieving their loss, but we may hold open a small place in our heart and mind for the day we can more easily celebrate the joy of having known that special person. For those of you who are deployed, human mortality may be a close and personal topic. For those of us in the States, the last two weeks have also been sad reminders of our human fragility. There have been several aviation mishaps in recent news – combat, military training, and civilian mishaps. Especially if we are deployed, it may be difficult to find time to allow ourselves the vulnerability of sadness. Deep, personal loss is an inevitable part of life. The shock of loss may leave us confused. It may seem paradoxical, but eventually we must bring ourselves to both of these places: of honest grief, and of celebration for their life. In both grieving and celebrating, we may need a companion. In Faith and Service, Seanan |
 | Re: A Brief Reflection on Halloween |
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Thanks for your post, Seanan. It is good to be able to reflect on those who have passed on. Their love and spirit live on in us. Personally, I'd like to remember the 7 Coast Guard and 2 Marine Corps aviators that died a few days ago off of the coast of California. The Marines perished preparing for the day their country needs them again. Those Coast Guardsmen died performing the mission they did every day: Taking risks so others may live. Their sacrifice is now total and complete, while their families' sacrifice has just grown a hundred times, the effect of which will last generations. I am one of the many servicemembers currently deployed to the Middle East. Everyone, including us, is keenly aware of the risk involved, but it's events like these that remind me that tragedy and loss takes place back in the U.S. every day, too. Being mindful of our mortality should make us appreciate every day of life we have. I am resolving to ask myself each day if I'm doing the most important thing I could be doing that day: "If today were my last day, would I have any regrets?" Right now, unfortunately, the answer is "yes". By figuring out what those regrets are, now I know what I need to be focusing on... Very respectfully, Peter |
| Re: A Brief Reflection on Halloween |
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Hello Peter, I'm glad you found this site. Hopefully it will offer us some connection with each other, even over the miles. Thanks for your response and your thoughtful words. Just sharing what is on our own minds can be helpful to the people near us. Sincerely, Seanan |
