The weeks following Christmas a busy time for pastors as people who have held on through the holidays wear out and die. Older people and younger people with chronic diseases are in this category. It's amazing that the human spirit is able to push forward with life until a specific date or event. I have no idea if this is scientific or not but my experience shows that death follows the big dates and events.
A dear friend of ours died Monday. He struggled with catastrophic illness for several years all the while keeping a loving and kind attitude. He is my model for ethics and style while dying. I use the word 'style' because his personal style of loving kindness and interest in the world around him continued through his illness. I thought one was allowed great crabbiness and whatever when death seems imminent but I am changing my mind about this. I'd like to be like my friend. In life and in death we belong to God. He lived this.
January doesn't have much to commend it. Gray and yukky down here in the Pine Grove even it we got up to the mid-70's today. The mosquitos survived our Christmas Freeze. I wanted them dead. It's no fun slapping on bug repellant in the wintertime.
(Note: I am teasing about pruning azaleas. You prune azaleas right after they bloom. To prune now would cut off the buds for Spring 2005).
January is not my best month. All the preacher's today at the meeting were talking about family or congregational deaths. We were discussing forms of funeral meditations. Would you like to know more about this? If so, stop lurking and leave a comment.
Only 26 more days of January.
2 comments:
It's grey, rainy, cold and dreary here today. No deaths -- just lots of surgeries.
I have been visiting people who have cancer or chronic disease, and I am at dis ease with it. Good visits, good people -- lots of suffering.
Blessings on your ministry!
Thanks, Reverend Mommy!
I don't think I even said I was going to prune azaleas in this post. I've lost my mind. Left it somewhere several years ago.
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