Part of life is letting go. We certainly experienced this summer when three of our Sisters died within about a month of each other. It was sad, but I found a blessing in being able to observe the way we mourn our fellow Sisters. We sit with our Sister when we suspect her hour of death is near, and we gather and pray when she does pass. We gather again and again to pray and say good-byes over the next few days up until her burial.
Prior to this summer, I took some interest in what songs and quotes I might want at my funeral, but I seem to have let go of these concerns over the last few months. Now, I am far more interested in the presence of my Sisters. I am interested in their lives and in their prayers…not the words of the prayers necessarily, but the heart of their prayers. I have seen in their sorrows and compassion, hearts that I want to continue to know better, to learn from, and to emulate.