REMEMBERING WITH A SMILE

Today, in the USA, we commemorate MEMORIAL DAY. We pause in sobriety to remember family members, friends, and military personnel who have served our nation via the ultimate sacrifice. In the immediacy of the passing of loved ones (especially in the near-term), our focus rests almost exclusively on the details of their deaths. We reflect on the medical emergencies, the hospital admissions, the tragic accidents, those young lives that seemed to end so prematurely, those seniors whose death might have been expected but was no less painful, and/or all the other factors that led to the eternal transition of those we truly love.

Some losses are so sudden, so tragic, so monumental, that they shake us to our very core, for instance a parent’s loss of a child. Nevertheless, with the passage of time, profound grief may yet morph into joyful memories of sunnier days and shared life experiences.

Today, as you reflect on the legacy of your loved ones, remember life’s tiny and unanticipated moments of joy: those mutual smiles broadly shared when good news knocked at your door, those modest, unplanned, non-holiday gifts, treasured so much since they sprang spontaneously from the heart, those occasions of merriment and full-throated laughter after sharing a humorous story or an awesome success.

Remember with joy those intimate hours in the fellowship of breaking bread together, the powerful togetherness of shared worship experiences, those worn-out-yet-comfortable 'house clothes' you did not necessarily like yet s/he seemed to cling to and dearly love, those unforgettable milestones that make up every life, the family trips and vacations, the pure joy of traveling through time together, the occasional tears and the ever-present triumphs, the vast array of good days or bad, those discussions, decisions, and even the disagreements that make our time on earth a rich and rounded experience.

It all adds up to something significantly special and simply miraculous: this marvelous human adventure that we call LIFE. And it is so much greater, grander and glorious since you shared it with people that you truly love. So remember…treasure every single moment of it…with joy and with a smile. Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed!