Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Thanksgiving - Spiritual???

Ya know, it has been a good 20 days since Thanksgiving and I am still grappling with this topic. It's been about 6 weeks since losing my father-in-law. Most days are better for my husband & me, but it's still a battle to feel deeply spiritual in the midst of death & Alzheimer's. Family gatherings force us to deal with the conflicting emotions of joy & loss, gratitude & illness. Maybe if I was a deeper person, I could wrangle up something meaningful & spiritual about it. Perhaps some allegory about how celebrations tend to be so double-edged emotionally. The joy of gathering with loved ones. The recognition that it won't last forver. All I can say for sure is that the experience of loss & illness make one more cognizant about the fleeting good fortune of health and youth.




1 comment:

Adam Chambers said...

You know Sue, first of all I have to say I think you're pretty darn deep. Deep, meaning an honest open heart. I know you posses such a heart.

Secondly, though I haven't lost a loved one in some time or been through the heart-wrenching experience of Alzheimer's, I still share the same emotions when it comes to the fleeting good fortune of health and youth. I think for those us who are grateful for what we have, no matter what we have, these emotions at times can be hard to avoid, especially during a loss.

What I can tell you Sue, is that no matter what you feel or how you act on it, good or bad, that we know and we feel for and with you. This is the brilliance of our congregation, our faith. So after having read your honest words I relate them to Janna and we send what we can in love and healing to you and your family.

Sue, in your recent writings I am reminded of Jacob come-Yisrael and this is because you wrestle with these emotions, because you are deep, because you are honest and because you look with introspection. In your struggle I see clearly your spirituality, though possibly less defined for you it is an absolute inspiration to me.


Cheers
A