Letting Go to Death

Death . . . the final letting go, an experience that belongs to all who live. We can try to come to terms with it. We can fail at running from it. We can ignore. Those amongst us who hold to Christ are certain that bodily death is a step into eternal life, which softens the letting go but does not eliminate the grieving.

Death begged to be mentioned as I near the end of this particular walk through the theme of holding on and letting go.

Here is a song that always makes me smile (with tears) as I think of saying farewell to well-loved kindred travelers.

The Gathering of Spirits 
from Carrie Newcomer's The Gathering of Spirits Album

Let it go my love my truest,

Let it sail on silver wings.

Life’s a twinkling that’s for certain,

But it’s such a fine thing.

There’s a gathering of spirits;

There’s a festival of friends.

And we’ll take up where we left off

When we all meet again.

I can’t explain it. I couldn’t if I tried.

How the only things we carry

Are the things we hold inside

Like a day in the open,

Like the love we won’t forget,

Like the laughter that we started

And hasn’t died down yet.

Oh yeah, now didn’t we?

And don’t we make it shine?

Aren’t we standing in the center of

Something rare and fine?

Some glow like embers,

Or light through colored glass.

Some give it all in one great flame,

Throwing kisses as they pass

East of Eden . . .

But there’s heaven in our midst.

And we’re never really all that far

From those we love and miss.

Wade out in the water;

There’s a glory all around.

The wisest say there’s a thousand ways

To kneel and kiss the ground.

Let it go my love my truest,

Let it sail on silver wings.

Life’s a twinkling that’s for certain,

But it’s such a fine thing.

There’s a gathering of spirits;

There’s a festival of friends.

And we’ll take up where we left off

When we all meet again.

*Note: I’m not claiming that the words here are exactly in line with scripture as I understand it . . . but I think it is a beautiful expression of letting go and holding on . . . and I've not yet been to heaven to know for sure what it will be like:-)

This blog post is part of a series of writing (May 31-June 2012) by Tammy Fletcher Bergland about holding on and letting go.   tbergland.blogspot.com