Memorial Day for many is a day to remember those that are no longer with us. I don’t tend to think much about those that have died. My focus in more on those that are living, those I interact with now in my life. I generally focus on the now and spend little time thinking about the past. I do agree it is important to learn from the past. For me this moment is rich with what is right now and that now includes the past woven in with my hopes for the future. Now is really the only place I can be. I feel there is really nothing I can do for the past and those who are no longer here. I can possibly do much more for those still around today and for future generations but I can only do that in the present.
My mother died a few years ago but I don’t think of her very much. She had pulled away from the world for a long time before she left. I sometimes wish she had wanted to know me as an adult but she never really asked and our contacts were only if I reached out to her. I know that she was in her own world as I was in mine. We probably both lost out not knowing each other more. Today I do appreciate who she was when I was a child and know she did the best she could.
I did think today of people going to gravesites and wondering if they are trying to connect with the departed. That is not something I feel drawn to do. The departed are gone and just a thought away if I want to be with them in my memory. My heart still carries them with me. How do you feel about those you have lost? Are they really gone? Do you find going to the cemetery helpful?
I feel like I have more to understand here about what happens to those that are gone. I was raised with beliefs about the afterlife but those all seem kind of silly now. Maybe I need to replace the old beliefs with new ones? I have read other ideas and find some comfort with them. What is your belief about where the dead go? What feels right to you about the next step after life? I don’t have any clear answers here but I keep asking questions and exploring. This life is always a growing experience of heart and awareness for me.
I hope your Memorial Day was a good one and that whatever stirred in you helped you more appreciate the life you have in this moment.