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Rev. Michelle's Message October 17, 2024
Hard to believe we are deep into October already and it’s the time of year we dedicate to exploring issues of death, dying, and grief. The more I think about it, the more appropriate it seems to me that when the culture at large is indulging in all things “spooky,” we at UMB are doing the sometimes uncomfortable work of looking at our own mortality.
I remember when we first started doing this work many years ago, it was a little weird for some people, myself included! But the more we make talking about death a normal part of our lives and set aside some dedicated time to look at the issues around death and dying in our culture, the less “spooky” the whole thing seems. It still may not be our favorite topic, but together we are working at getting more comfortable with talking about death.
The purpose of this annual theme, of course, is not to be morbid or make you uncomfortable, but rather the opposite! Like it or not, death is part of this human experience and it will touch all of us eventually. As they say, no one is getting out of here alive! The more we confront the fact that we and everyone we love will one day die, the more we can get on with the business of living and living well. As so many books about death teach, keeping our own imminent death present in our minds helps us to live so much more fully–to appreciate each and every day as if it were our last, to cherish time with our friends and loved ones, and to truly realize the preciousness of this gift of life we have been given.
Talking about dying can help us live! Live with more presence, more awareness, more gratitude, more joy.
The book I’m reading this year about death is called Briefly, Perfectly Human by Alua Arthur, Death Doula. If you are interested in learning more about what a death doula does and how we can plan more adequately for our own inevitable deaths, I highly recommend this book. Written in an easy narrative style, this beautiful book tells the story of how its author came to the work of being a death doula. Mostly, she wants us to know that a beautiful and meaningful death is possible. She shows us how we can approach our own and our loved ones’ deaths equipped with the information and tools we need to make it a sacred, precious time, rather than a stressful, confusing time. You can purchase her book on Amazon.
If you’d like to hear one of Alua Arthur’s talks about death and dying, check out her TED talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/alua_arthur_why_thinking_about_death_helps_you_live_a_better_life?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare.
To kick off the Days of the Dead at UMB, we will be having a craft and movie night this Friday. Come at 6 pm if you’d like to help us assemble our authentic Mexican Day of the Dead ofrenda or come at 7 pm if you’d like to eat pizza and watch a spooky Halloween movie!
And don’t forget to start bringing in your photos or other mementos of your loved ones (pets included!) to place on our communal altar. I so look forward to the deep sharing and learning I know we will be doing this season!
Spooky Blessings,
Rev. Michelle
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