Celebrating Mortality

We view death as an unwelcome eventuality in our lives. Coming to terms with the loss can generally be a slow, painful process but we all get there. We heal and then we move on. I see this annual celebration of "honoring" our loved ones who have passed away as a means of accepting reality but at the same time- a ceaseless manifestation of hope that somehow, they are just around the corner- in another dimension.

I lost my paternal grandparents to illness but my time with them was spent evocatively that at a very young age- I understood and felt grief at losing them. I never really knew my maternal grandmother because she passed away even before nanay got married. My maternal grandfather on the other hand had his hands full with grandchildren and his favorite pastime (mahjong) that we never get to bond well together. Fortunately for me- the rest of my loved-ones are still with me- to love me, make me happy and yes- even annoy me and stress me out. (But I won’t change this circumstance – ever- if I had my way).

It just got me thinking - had we all manifested this devotion (to our dead loved-ones) at a time when they are still around to see and feel and express their appreciation for what we're doing, our life with them then would have been a little bit more meaningful. Can our acts today be our way of atoning for our unconscious neglect of the value and existence of these family members and friends when they were alive?  

 

Today just made me realize that mortality is something we have to deal with. For once it strikes to take away a loved-one, it too, will take away a little bit of sunshine off your life, a little bit of a shoulder to lean on as a source of strength, a little piece of what makes you complete.

So as I celebrate the day for the departed souls, I also exalt with joy within, for the presence of those who are still with me at this very moment and fulfill the needs of my senses. There couldn’t be a better way of embracing mortality than resolving to live fully, love those around me and express that love for them to savor. After all, to conquer one's grief is to think that those whom we have lost have at least lived life to the fullest, have lived it well- and that you were a part of all that.