For me, it’s a day to sit in silence and prayerfully reflect
on my family. I reflect on my ancestors as
far back as I can go, and when I do, I experience a deep sense of
connectedness. I experience a rich
fullness. I delight in the stories of my adventurous great and grand fathers
who left home and family to sail the high seas, or travel across the country in
search of,,, what? I’m amazed at the
courage of my great and grand mothers who with children left their families and
accompanied their husbands across oceans, fields and the Great Plains. I am fascinated by the unknown circumstances
that drew them on and dictated when they would arrive. What kept them going in the face of
overwhelming hardships? I’m inspired by
the rich diversity of religions, faith traditions and beliefs that color my
story. I’m in awe of the
accomplishments, of the endless giving, and selflessness of friends, of family,
and of significant strangers. I embrace
those whose lives were filled with pain, anger, tragedy and apparent failure. I’m
filled with gratitude for this ever-expanding community of blessed and redeemed
humanity, the community of saints. And I’m
equally grateful for the gift of the pain, suffering, and vulnerability they
have shared and passed down via stories, diaries and letters.
We are created with an intrinsic emptiness, an unquenchable
thirst, a driving hunger, a holy longing which only God can satisfy. This ineffable holy longing speaks to my
innermost being and draws me to God. The
path may be slippery, rocky and convoluted, but the attraction is more than of
tidal proportion. The path of my
vocation, of my gospel story, like that of all who have gone before, is
embedded in the holy yearning within. It
is the will of the Father that I, we, none of us be lost. It is His Will that I have eternal life. This holy longing, holy yearning for
“Something” connects us and keeps us moving singly, in family and in community
toward the source of our longing – God.
The Good News is that it is the desire of the Father that I,
and that all souls, rest in the eternal peace of the Father in the community of
All Souls.
