  Spiritual
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When people pass on, it's almost inevitable that thoughts about the afterlife come to the surface. This week's Spiritual Newsletter wonders what happens next...
kittiara |
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A couple of nights ago I was on the phone with my grandmother, when she suddenly asked me, “Oh, you know who passed away?” I didn’t, and had certainly not expected the question right in the middle of a conversation about food. The person in question turned out to be my great-aunt. She’d just celebrated her 93rd birthday on the 26th, and passed away on the 27th.
I hadn’t seen my great-aunt in many years, but I have fond memories of her. She was what I call a proper lady, always immaculately dressed, always pleasant in manner and speech. She was also a very active lady right up until her late eighties – she’d still go on shopping trips with her friends and loved to visit different cities.
She’d reached a very respectable age, so what really struck me about the announcement was the seemingly flippant manner in which my grandmother announced what had happened. Of course, I know my grandmother cares. She really does. I think that it has a lot to do with the fact that in the past few years she’s lost quite a few of her lifelong friends and elderly relatives.
This got me thinking about what it must be like when you age. Sooner or later, many people you’ve grown up with and care for will move on, leaving you behind. I can’t help but think that this must make a person feel lonely and vulnerable. Perhaps, from time to time you’ll wonder who will be next, and whether or not it will be you… morbid as such questions might seem.
Even at the age of 35 I sometimes ponder on what will come after… is there indeed a Heaven? Are my family members and friends waiting for me there? What about my pets? And what if my faith is wrong, and this life is all there is? The thought of not being - that part of me that I think of as “me” not existing – feels incomprehensible.
This may seem like a morbid Newsletter topic but then, what happens next is a question right at the center of many faiths. Certainly the way we live our lives is a big part of many religions, but that, too, is geared towards access to what’s hopefully the next level of our existence.
Some people are so focused on this goal that they weigh all their choices in life with the afterlife in mind. Other people work on the basis that nobody knows what will happen, so we might as well make the best of it whilst we’re here. I’m somewhere in the middle of it all – I try to live my life the best way I know how, but I haven’t got a clue whether or not I qualify for Heaven, if there is one.
I don’t think about it that often, but when a family member passes on, I guess it’s natural to ponder these things. It never really leads anywhere, though, does it? There are so many questions but no solid answers, and when we find out it’s too late to pass on our knowledge.
What do you believe? Do you believe in life after death? What do you think happens to us in the afterlife? Do you think we have a choice when we get there, or that it’s based on the choices we make now? Or do you feel we simply end? I’d be interested in your views, if you don’t mind me asking…
kittiara |
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The Spiritual Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in!
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olayemi - You hit issues right on the head. Thanks Kittiara. I think it is nice to set realistic goals not with grasshopper mentality nor elephant mentality. Not just building castles in the air but setting goals with solid foundations.
Thank you so much! I fully agree with you  .
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esprit  - This was an enjoyable letter, Kittiara, with some good advice. Thank you.
Thank you very much for your kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the newsletter .
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mousybrown - I truly loved your letter from the editor and I couldn't agree more. Thanks for the reminder of every day offering us an opportunity to make changes.
Congrats on your 5 year anniversary with WDC. Have a wonderful day.
Jean
Thank you very much, Jean! Also for the congrats on my W.Com anniversary. I appreciate it .
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Quick-Quill  - Goals are just breaking a Vision into more managable units. When looking at it in these terms, we use them as landings in our stairway to our dreams. Without them we don't have any reason to get up in the morning. So get up and start out the door toward the life you want.
That's a beautiful way of looking at it, and a very inspirational one indeed. Thanks so much!
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Lauriemariepea - "However, we shouldn’t feel pressured into resolutions just because we’re made to feel we’re not good enough the way we are. We’re not all built to be a size 0, and the other way around, we’re not all built to be curvy. The pressure on those of us who are naturally slim is just as big as on those of us who don’t naturally look like your typical fashion model. We’re not all made to be Olympic athletes, or top business men or women. Most of us are fine, just the way we are, and perhaps what we should be striving for this year is the acceptance of ourselves instead of trying to be what we’re not."
i love this. you're so right, and i'm finally getting to an age where i can appreciate my qualities as what makes me (and the people around me) unique--flaws and all. thank you for an inspiring message, kittiara!
Thank you so very much for your kind words! I hope to reach that stage in my life as well, where I don't feel that pressure and am capable of accepting myself just the way I am. I hope I'll get there sooner rather than later!
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Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Spiritual Newsletter Team:
Sophurky  , northernwrites, kittiara
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Spiritual: February 03, 2010 Issue [#3537]
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