The End of the Day: A Vision of Crossing Over?

 

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“Photography is a language more universal than words.” - Minor White


    February is the month, too many years ago now, that my father passed away. And in March only a few years later, my mom suddenly left us. The sense of loss and agony of missing them is overwhelming sometimes but thankfully, those feelings are much rarer than they used to be. Still, even now I often find myself with a question about our family or an old recipe where my first instinct is to call my parents... it's hard, as anyone who has lost a close family member or friend knows all too well.

    Many of us hope those gone before are in a better place and perhaps more at peace than they were while here, especially if the end of their lives involved failing health and pain. I hope everyone's final moments between here and there are peaceful and filled with embracing warmth and comfort. As I wrote in my post on March 6, 2021...

    Recently, I've been thinking a lot about my mom and dad. The melancholy anniversaries of their untimely passings made me feel uneasy even though I'm blessed with a loving wife and sons. Thinking about death is unavoidable for me this time of year, mentally balancing the joy of making happy memories and the regrets of things left undone or amends not made. I hope my parents had a happy passage to the beyond even though their final hours were in the hospital.

    What could this final journey look like? Everything might abruptly go dark, but I don't believe that. Many people picture a grand stairway rising to heaven, an ascension of the soul so to speak, but consider an older way of visualizing it. The ancients likened it to crossing a river, the infamous Styx being only one of five rivers in the classic Greek underworld. Dying of pneumonia, Stonewall Jackson, think what you will of him, whispered these famous last words, "Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees.”

    Perhaps we can imagine a gentle boat ride, listening to the oars dipping quietly in peaceful rhythm, and crossing the smooth waters towards "The End of the Day.' I hope the conclusion to our time on earth looks much like this. In the meantime, may we cherish each day with our family and friends because tomorrow is never guaranteed. Peace and be well, all of you.

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