A few weeks ago a dear friend of mine whom I had known for over 30 years suddenly passed away in a scuba diving accident. She was 45 years old. She leaves behind the love of her life and three children.
There are no words for this tragic loss.
I went to visit this family a few days after the accident and had a long talk with the widower, her husband. The anguish was palpable, as the loss was so great.
Although I felt the depth of grief and sadness, I also witnessed something else, their relationship becoming deeper and stronger.
This is the absurdity of death. The physical nature of the relationship ends, but the spiritual essence of it enhances.
So when couples get married and take the marriage vow “’til death do us part”, I don’t think it is accurate, at least not in spirit.
In fact, death draws you closer to the deceased’s essence and presence. You become hyper-aware of your partner’s absence. But at the same time, you feel their essence and presence ever more so deeply.
It’s a strange and profound truth of how love is experienced in each one of us. We can’t quite comprehend this phenomenon with the human brain, but it’s there. It’s like trying to quantify how much air there is in the air; we just know there is a lot of it.
My hope for you, my dear community, is that you would seize the physical love you have with your loved ones today so when the time comes for the physical parting, the spiritual relationship will be that much greater, stronger, and more tangible.
