Burying Your Loved Ones
My brother, a well-loved attorney, died last Sunday. He was buried Thursday in a private graveside service attended by his wife, their children and spouses, one grandchild and a preacher. No church service. No friends to say goodbye. He preferred a small service to prevent others from being exposed to covid-19. New normal?
Three weeks before my brother’s death, my precious Anglican pastor died of heart failure while clutching his comfort cross. A few days earlier he called me, “I will be meeting Jesus soon, but I wanted to tell you I love you,” he whispered. We both cried. He was my friend and spiritual advisor for more than four decades. There was no funeral. Hopefully, someday there will be a memorial service for him.
Then there was my first cousin, buried with only a limited family gathering because of their state’s strict crowd regulations. As they were properly distanced around her grave, three of them sang Amazing Grace. (One sibling was absent, having tested positive for the virus the day before).
Though I was unable to go to my brother’s graveside service, I flipped through old pictures — remembering, laughing, crying. Photos of him growing up in our mother’s boarding house, high school graduation, earning his law degree, his wedding, birth of his four children, years volunteering with the Boy Scouts and even hiking with them after he turned 80. Serving as city attorney, city judge, receiving awards. Wearing his top hat to give historical lectures to civic groups and posing with the books he wrote about our county.
What has happened to our society during this pandemic? While my relatives who died did not have the virus, most of us know someone who has–for instance, one of my grandchildren and two families on my block. While stringent state restrictions keep many people house-bound, public health rules are for our protection.
“People deserve a right to be remembered and their life celebrated, but we’ve been robbed even of the opportunity to honor the dead,” a friend told me. Sadly, we don’t have the opportunity to show our last respects for someone who has made an impact on our life.
I’ve have been writing a few more thank-you letters lately and making a few more phone calls. I want to give accolades to folks I cherish so they will know how much they have meant to me—while we are all still running our race, fulfilling our destiny on earth. Have you given thought to this too?
I am thankful that Jesus Christ suffered and died for our sins. And that He rose again, was seen by hundreds, and then ascended to heaven. He has prepared a place for His followers to join Him someday. I’m also glad believers can look forward to reunions in heaven.
Prayer: Father, I thank You for all the wonderful people who have enriched my life. Help me find ways to honor them. Amen.
Scripture: Truly, truly, I [Jesus] say to say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (John 5:24 NASB)
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