In the past month, I've lost an uncle and an aunt. Yes, they were elderly, so their deaths were not a shock, but with their deaths come the realization that we are quickly losing that generation in our family. In time (which seems to pass so much more quickly these days), I will be a member of the eldest generation, and I wonder if I'm up for the task--the generation of my mother, my aunts, my uncles was an exceptional generation, and they've set the bar very high.
My Uncle Dale married my Aunt Norma on a St. Patrick's Day, and they moved into Married Student Housing at Iowa State (those "temporary" huts were still housing for students when I went to ISU, over 20 years later!). After graduation, they moved to Seattle (my grandma assumed they were so far out West, they were living with the "Indians"). Uncle Dale worked as an engineer for Boeing, and when I was growing up, he was the smartest man I knew. He was also the best example of a daddy too--he was this quiet, hands-on father to my cousins. From day one, I was always in awe of my Uncle Dale. I've never understood exactly what he worked on at Boeing, but at one point, I know it was top-secret--involving a security clearance so stringent, they looked in to the background of my mom and her husband. Uncle Dale was a good man who contributed valuable knowledge and work to this world, and he helped nurture and raise three amazing people. He will be missed by all of us who knew him.
My Aunt Ann was a WAV in World War II. She was a married working woman who also had two sons--sort of an anomaly in her day. She was a great golfer, and the--hands down--most elegant woman I have ever met. So elegant that I was intimidated by her for most of my life, which is not necessarily a bad thing--I always tried to bring my "A" game when I was around her. She was the quintessential older sister, fiercely protective of my mom, and I'm grateful my mom had someone like Aunt Ann watching out for her. My aunt was a woman who saw so much change in her 90+ year lifetime, and yet knew, deep down, the important thing in life was family.
And now to birth; bringing new life into this world is an act of faith, and demonstrates you have hope for the world. The Christian Bible states, in John 3:16: "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son...." Isn't that what every thoughtful parent of a wanted child does? Karen's brother and sister-in-law have, by the act of conception, demonstrated hope--hope that their child will do all it can to make this world a better place, that the birth of their child will have meaning. They also are taking a leap of faith; faith that the world their child is born into is a good place, for who would purposefully bring a child into a world where it will suffer? Each generation looks to subsequent generations and hopes that where they have failed, the next generation will succeed. I remember thinking that MY generation was going to be the one to end all prejudice, racism, and misogyny. In doing so, I hoped that my generation would bring peace to this planet. Sadly, my generation has failed, so now my hope is for my children's generation--maybe they will be the ones. They learned so much from my uncle and aunt's generation, and they seem to have tossed aside the prejudices of their grandparent's generation; now perhaps they will focus on understanding and cherishing one another. I can hope, can't I?
When a person dies, there is a void. As we try to remember the life of that person, we reflect on what they brought to their life on earth. Most of the time, we promise to be more like that person, in the hopes that the good they did, the love they had for us, will not die. It's a good promise to make to ourselves. We may even talk about that person to our children, in the hope that the goodness of the deceased will propel those who come after us to ever greater "works", thus making this world a better place for all.
I have rambled....
Here's the essence of what I'm trying to say: If you're here, on this planet, please...please do all you can to make it better for all. For the life we live will be lived here, and the good we are given from those who die? That needs to be preserved and passed on to those who will be born.
Death and birth. On this one earth.
