All Souls Day
Today we honor those who have
shown up at crucial times in our lives and helped us survive. The roots of the observance are thousands
of years old in a time when people tried to ward off Death and the wandering,
malevolent spirits that took family and friends away, often without warning. While modern medicine has subdued some of these spirits, we still fear the
long-leggedy beasties and the queasy, uneasy things that go bump in the night. Too many people we
love die unexpectedly, and too many die young for us to rest easy.
We are scared of death. We want to know where we go and what
happens to us when we die.
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I am Roman Catholic and my relationship with my mom was complicated. She had a mercurial personality and sometimes I had to keep her at a distance - yet I supported her financially after my father died ( I adored my father ). So mom passed this Jan. 2018. I made sure she had the sacraments of the church - and prayed for the repose of her soul. This weekend I attended a Mass out of state - at a random parish. I had silently prayed for a sign that mom had made it to heaven - that she wasn't stuck in purgatory. At this Mass - in ordinary time as we Catholics say - 2 hymns were sung. One was Amazing Grace and the other was How Great Thou Art. It struck me that these 2 hymns were her favorite and for many years ( my mom was a planner who planned her funeral right down to the mauve dress ) she made sure I had in writing that these 2 particular hymns were to be played at her funeral. Coincidence? Maybe. But then again - I think it was a sign that she is OK and she forgives me just as I have forgiven her for all the mis communications.
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