In Memorium
Dear Friends,
               In the back of the newspaper you can find the Obituary Section.  I often look to see if there is anyone that I know that has died.  More often than not, my attention is drawn to a picture or an article about someone who I do not know.  That person is someone’s child, someone’s friend, someone’s neighbor.  Perhaps they were a parent or grandparent, a sibling, a co-worker, a fellow church member.  Someone, out of love and respect, has taken time to write a few sentences or paragraphs about their life to remember them to the world.
               This morning I was thinking about how I want to be remembered and about the things I choose to remember about others.  Perhaps our lives would be enriched more by choosing to focus on the beautiful, the positive, the noble aspects of a person’s life rather than those aspects that we would just as soon forget.  I know that I hope people will not remember those parts of my life that have been hurtful and harmful.
               I suppose that we could carry this practice into our thoughts of the living as well.  Could I train my own mind to focus on the more positive and life-giving aspects of others rather than remember the ways that they might annoy or aggravate me?  Could I choose to focus only on those positive associations and experiences?  Maybe that is naïve.  Or maybe it is a way to create more space for grace and redemption.
               On this Memorial Day Weekend, may we make space for God’s Spirit of love, grace, and forgiveness to shape and bless the memories of others to which we choose to cling.
To God be the Glory!
Robert