“I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendents may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19
Friends,
These waning days of October, when night’s blanket of darkness begins to lengthen over us, when trees begin to relinquish their leaves and prepare for the dormancy of winter, the spirit of the season calls us to confront the dual reality of being alive while knowing we must die. It is said that at this time of year, the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is thin.
Traditional religious and cultural practices at this time of year call us to remember those on the other side of the veil, those who have preceded us in death. The holidays and holy days observed at this time of year range from celebratory to somber, from laughing at death to embracing its reality, from the macabre to the sublime. From La Dia De Los Muertos to Samhain to Halloween to All Saints and All Souls Days, there seems to be a universal impulse to pause in honor of those who have gone before and to pause in wonder at the great mysteries of life and death.
As Benjamin Franklin famously noted, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” I would add change to Franklin’s list of certainties. These deepening days of autumn invite us to embrace the reality of change.
With a consequential election still to be decided, one thing is certain. No matter the outcome, change is inevitable. Whichever way the election goes, whether we feel blessed or cursed, I have faith that we will find a way forward, choosing to act in accordance with our values, and thus, choosing life. It is what Unitarians and Universalists have been doing for centuries. Our religious ancestors faced hardships and persecutions, bequeathing us a strong and resilient faith rooted in the truth of an enduring love that will not let us go.
In these days when the veil is thin, whether you approach these days with reverence or irreverence – or a bit of both, may you find comfort and solace in remembering loved ones no longer with us. Together, may we be strengthened and nourished by a heritage that calls us again and again to choose life and to choose it abundantly.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
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