Flowers for LorraineMy friend's mom died rather suddenly. She's the same grandma I wrote about back in September. The one I want to emulate as a grandma. She had a good long life and died a peaceful death--having attended mass with her family Sunday morning and then just running out of energy toward evening, winding down until she exhaled her last breath a day or so later. The funeral was a celebration of her life--with fond and joyful remembrances--just as she would have demanded.
My friend is an only child of an only child and she will miss her mom. For years she has stopped on her way to school to check in with Lorraine and again at the end of the school day she would drop her off at Andy's--a local diner--for a couple of hours so she could gossip and chat with the workers and other locals.
The priest knew Lorraine well and it makes such a difference. He spoke of belonging and how it can really be looked at as two words--be and longing. Many of us have trouble just being; requiring more action than the verb forms of to be. But, there is beauty and peace and contentment in learning to be. And, then there is longing. The longing that each of us experiences, sometimes called a God-shaped hole in one's heart, throughout our time on earth. He said that Lorraine definitely knew how to be and now she is with God and she belongs to him--all longings fully satisfied. Beautiful.
No comments:
Post a Comment