Dearly beloved
We are gathered here today
To get through this thing called “life”Electric word, life
It means forever and that’s a mighty long time…
2016. The year we lost Prince. David Bowie. Alan Rickman. Muhammad Ali. Elie Wiesel. Gene Wilder. John Glenn. And so many others who uplifted us, made us laugh, taught us lessons, set an example, entertained and moved us.
They were “celebrities” and often people scoff at our pain in the loss of such people. After all, we didn’t know them, right? Well, maybe that doesn’t matter. What matters is that they did touch our hearts and souls through their work, their bravery, their dedication, and their talents. They are “celebrities” because they are rare beings with that something special. It’s OK to honor what their lives meant to us. They will be forever missed.
“Forever [is] a mighty long time,”said Prince in his song, Let’s Go Crazy. Forever means for all future time; for always; lasting or permanent.
We use this word so often without really considering what it means. We vow to love someone forever. We swear to hold a grudge forever. We think our hearts are forever broken. We feel like it’s forever being a part from our loved ones. We wonder if we will be stuck in our dead-end jobs forever.
Words like “forever” and “never” and “always” are not so helpful in our healing and moving forward in our lives in peace, happiness and joy. When we throw out these words it puts a block in our minds – boxes us in and keeps us in unhappy situations. We might think twice in leaving an unhappy marriage because we have the belief in our minds that it is supposed to last forever. We don’t extend an olive branch to a friend or family member because we swore to never forgive them. We continue to mourn a relationship because our hearts will always long for this other person.
Being mindful of these kinds of thoughts is vital. What we say turns in to what we think. What we think turns in to what we believe. What we believe dictates how we act.
This year I learned that death is the only forever – and even then, I believe that our souls live again. Take care in limiting your living with thoughts of forever.
Genie Mathews 