Last Saturday I co-led a funeral for a very dear friend who lost an ugly battle with cancer. It was a very beautiful and moving memorial service. There were poems, reflections from lifelong friends, scripture readings, favorite hymns, Eucharist and several memorable photos. I walked away feeling as though we had truly sent off our dear friend into her eternal rest in great celebratory style.
But what had begun as a subtle pat-myself-on-the-back moment, began to evolve into a more sobering and introspective occasion…
As a rational and intelligent adult, I understand that death is inevitable. No one is exempt from its cruel grip. Death is one of the equal opportunity forces in the world today. In some cases it is highly anticipated and almost timed. In other cases it is sudden or accidental. Regardless of when or how it comes, friends and family are never quite ready for the shock of their loss. And when death occurs we snap into funeral mode and we take time off of work and buy airline tickets, and we search feverishly for old letters and photographs for memories because we want to show our last respects.
These are all good things, for the most part… [Read more…] about A Reflection on Hugging