By David Coy
Sunrise
There is a song sung by Roger Whittaker entitled, “The First Hello, The Last Goodbye,” wherein there is a line that says, “They say when you gain a lover You begin to lose a friend, That the end of the beginning’s The beginning of the end, They say the moment that you’re born Is when you start to die….” There is truth in that line. When we are born, we do not know how long we will live, but we may grow older and will die. How do or will we measure our life? Some people do so by the people they left behind. Some people do so in faith. Some people by love, and others believe that life does not have any meaning at all. I do not think those who dealt with a terminal illness think that their life has no meaning; at least, I hope not.
Every life has purpose and meaning and matters. Do we think about that one day we will not be here and wonder what we are leaving behind? Do we think about preparing for our existence beyond this physical life? I suspect that those facing their mortality do. Scripture says, “Inasmuch as it is awaiting us to die once, and after this judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27) We should prepare for our farewell as well as those close to us that we love and esteem highly. We do not like to talk about our farewell, our death, but we should as it is normal and a date we all will meet. My father-in-law died several years ago and before he died with lung cancer that would shorten his life, he made elaborate detailed plans for that eventuality. We all should prepare for that date we all will keep. Relationships are vital as we are social creatures created for interaction and companionship. If there is a need, repair relationships. Otherwise cherish and keep them close and current.
Hope to see you in grief support group this month.
