I just got back from a funeral mass and reception for the mother of a dear friend to learn that the wife of another friend just passed away at the age of 29. In the past month I've attended a celebration of life for another friend's wife who passed away suddenly and a service for the mother of yet another friend. A couple of weeks ago I also learned of the passing of another close friend's father, and although I didn't attend the funeral, I should have.
Each of these instances, occurring so closely together, has once again got me thinking about death. I reflected upon death in great detail back in December when I wrote about the reality of mortality. Here's an excerpt:
In my lifetime, I don't remember a worse year of natural disasters. Throw in threats of an Avian flu pandemic, the Terri Schiavo media circus and the passing of the Pope and we have a year draped in black funeral attire. With the foul stench of death in the air, "Six Feet Under" put everything in perspective and eloquently presented the reality of mortality as a concept I can fully understand, effectively inducing catharsis.
It's also worth noting that in 2005 I didn't attend a single funeral, wake or memorial service. In 2006, I'll be reaching four next week. Mourning the loss of others has given me ample time to not only sympathize but contemplate my own life and the lives of those I love. The soul searching has been most therapuetic and the reminder that life is fleeting has only had postive effects on my person. Therein lies the irony. In the sadness of others I care about, I find inner strength and discover aspects of myself I wasn't sure existed.
To quote the remembrance card for Sybil I received just this morning, "Nothing is past; nothing is lost. One brief moment and we all will be as it was before -- only better."
