I’m taking a sabbatical from writing new blog posts. You’ll be seeing some re-runs and old favorites for the next little while. This post was originally published in August of 2021. You can always write me back with suggestions or ideas just by responding to this email!
I attended a funeral last week.
The woman who passed away was a family friend, someone important to me. The funeral was held in the city where I grew up, about two and half hours away.
The funeral was held in person as well as streamed on the church’s Facebook page. I had two choices: I could watch the funeral online, or I could take the day off in order to attend in person.
I chose to go in person. Here’s why.
An event like this isn’t just the words that are said and the songs that are sung. It is the whole experience: the opportunity to come together to grieve and to celebrate the life of the person who has left us. If I had only been able to watch online, I would still have heard the moving words that were spoken, and I would still have reflected on this woman and her impact on my life.
But by going in person, I was able to connect with other people, not mourn alone at my laptop. I saw old friends, people brought together in this important ritual.
I think it’s wonderful that it’s possible to participate virtually now in ways we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago. It’s not always possible to change your schedule around to be somewhere in person, and making more events accessible is a good thing.
Now, the choice of how we participate comes with new opportunities to be intentional about how we want to connect, to be in relationship, to support each other.
