Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

Carol’s Corner

November 15, 2007

The Eulogy – Reflecting Upon Death – Part 1

Carol Roach

I have had a pretty stressful last two weeks. One of my closest friend’s from childhood, called to let me know that her mom had passed on, coupled with the fact that I was very worried about my mother-in-law to be who looked as if it was also the end of her life’s journey. I am not sure that I handled either situation very well. I did want to write about it though. I had time to sit and reflect upon death since the happening, actually I was reflecting upon it in the funeral parlor. Nora, my friend’s mother’s death affected me much more than I thought it would have.
 

It seems cruel to me to sum up an entire lifetime in one article. Yet some of us will never even get that one article. No one will write about us, no one will tell the world they loved us, missed us, or even despised us. No one will take the time to acknowledge us.

Like many of my stories, this story will have several components to it. I can’t tell you all the components at this moment because I don’t really know myself. I have yet to think them through, yet to write them down, yet to share them with the world.

However, how I will begin is to tell you how I got to thinking about our beliefs about death when Nora’s son gave a beautiful eulogy. He said he missed his mom and would continue to miss her, but at the same time he rejoices because he knows without a shadow of doubt, her soul is alive and with her maker.

What also made this eulogy so beautiful was the fact that Randy never knew his mother as a child and still delivered a eulogy that only a loving son could do. Nora had three children; Lavenia, Randall and Donna, she never married and lived with her sister a few streets away from my home.

Our families go back to Nora’s mother who became friends with my grandmother. Nora and her sister Marianne shared a house together. By the time my generation came along, the grandmother, Ellen, had remarried and lived within walking distant of the old house. She was always around to visit with her children Nora, who was the eldest daughter, Marianne, and her grandchildren.

Marianne had her daughter first. Renate was the first friend I had ever had. Nora then gave birth to three children. She was a single woman and was only able to keep Lavenia her oldest child.

Like the generations before us, where Ellen and my grandmother was best friends, and Marianne and my aunt Bonnie were best friends, Renate, Lavenia and I became best friends.

Nora’s family secret was well kept and I only found out in my late teens that Nora had two other children besides Lavenia. Once Lavenia became an adult she was determined to find her siblings. In a way she was successful and in a way she was not. She managed to find Randall, but she was too late to find Donna. Her sister had died years before. I found her story was steeped in mystery. Donna apparently died from malnutrition. She just stopped eating. Lavenia could not find out any more information than that.

Randall, the full grown young man came into the family at that point and Nora was so happy she had a chance to get to know him. I am sure she was smiling down on him while he gave the eulogy that day.

Although he spoke about his mom in life and what she meant to him, Randy was more concerned with her soul and her place in heaven. He gave an open invitation to the congregants to accept the lord Jesus Christ and know the joys that he knew his mom was now experiencing. This charismatic young man’s eulogy was so powerful, sincere, and heartfelt that it moved me to tears.

This very eulogy prompted me to take a look at other religions and how they viewed the afterlife. First of all let me say that not every one believes in God or the afterworld. Agnostics are not sure of the existence of God and Atheists do not believe there is a God. Some religions such as Taoism renounce the afterlife as well. However for the purpose of this article we will look at some of the religions which do believe in an afterlife, with or without the presence of God.

Be sure to read the next part

Carol Roach

winterose@videotron.ca

Check out her newest book,

Angels Watching Over Me. http://www.lulu.com/content/964306