“Cast a cold eye on life, on death. Horseman, pass by,” read the words on the tombstone of Irish poet William Butler Yeats. Most of us would cast a cold eye on death, but on life? Does a passionate love of life make it harder to let go at life’s end, or does it make it easier, knowing that you have fully embraced what was given to you, for however long it was given?
How do you live so that you can meet your eventual end with grace?
The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation Without Walls.
How do you live so that you can meet your eventual end with grace?…
Old Grimm Reaper is one of my friends … I hang an effigy of him on my bedroom door; I greet him as I go to bed each night. I do not fear Death – for my friend, the Reaper, will be there to lead me graciously through the Gateway; and on, into the Life beyond.
Blessings!
Dwayne
Well said and well done, Dwayne…
When asked or drawn in, I work as a guide with dying people and their families. From those experiences, I have learned to be ever grateful for even the smallest bits of kindness, beauty and joy. I also try to live so that when the time comes, I can leave with few regrets.
I tend to worry about whether I’m making my time count, whether I’m investing my energy in the right things, and what kind of legacy – if any – I will leave behind. The fear that I’m not making proper use of my time causes me guilt and anxiety and tends to make me freeze up rather than opening my eyes to a new kind of wonder. Somehow all this seems counter-productive.
I once read somewhere that to have a full and meaningful life one should aspire to have each moment full and meaningful. While having each moment actually live up to the highest ideal is impossible, perhaps I could see how I can make each moment as good as possible without worrying so much whether they all add up to some kind of great purpose.
I’m sure near the end I will struggle because I live actively, but at the moment I am so appalled at the world I see I feel ready to leave it.