Since October 5 I've taken several expected trips: To Michigan, Missouri, Illinois and Colorado.
Ohio wasn't supposed to be on the list.
Where is it written that unexpected trips are always for bad reasons? Perhaps in college I took off for someplace with no warning just to do it without the impetus of a bad reason. I can't think of any. Certainly can't think of one since being an adult I've taken many weekend road trips and traveled in this country, Europe and Central and South America. All were planned, expected trips.
I took an unexpected trip to Ohio with the LTR to be with our family after his father suffered a massive stroke from which he will not recover.
I'm trying to decide if death is an expected trip or an unexpected one? We all know it's a trip we will take someday, but the moment when that final journey occurs is random, beyond control. Unexpected.
Or maybe, death -- like birth -- is a trip that is both unexpected and expected. We know it's going to happen, it's only the exact moment that is unexpected.
And maybe, death -- like birth -- is just a traumatic journey from one world to the next.
I hope so.
And if that is so, when my father-in-law finally makes that ultimate expected and unexpected trip, I do know this much: he's going to bring the next world a helluva lot more laughter.
Bon voyage, Dad.
4 comments:
As one of the prayers in the Mass of the Resurrection has it, "life is changed, not ended. When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death, we gain an everlasting dwelling-place in heaven."
My condolences to you and the LTR.
In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.
May angels lead you into Paradise; may the martyrs receive you at your coming and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem. May a choir of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, who once was poor, may you have eternal rest.
I am sorry to hear that. Loosing an elder member of family is always hard. But I guess the good thing about death is the fact that you never know when it comes. Therefore you can live it to the last moment because you never know if you are here the next moment or you are on the last trip. If we could have choice between knowing the date and not knowing, I would surely choose not to know.
May peace be upon his soul and your shoulders be strong enough for both your and your LTR's head.
Thank you. Neither my father-in-law nor I are men of faith...but I appreciate both the Christian and Muslim prayers offered here.
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