Accompaniment!

         In the year after Joanne's death, Sam, a friend from the early 60s, stayed emotionally close to me. Though we'd been friends a long time, geography kept us from spending much time face to face. Sam's entire ministry was in South Dakota, while I moved from North Dakota, to South Dakota and Iowa ending in Minnesota. Despite the geography he founds ways to touch me as I began to traverse the land of grief. Then, about a year after Joanne's death, his beloved wife, Mary, died. So now we are fellow denizens of the land of grief.

    Today the mail brought me an article from the Christian Century, May 19, 2021. The article is a review of the book The Night Lake: A Young Priest Maps the Topography of Grief, Liz Tichnor. Two and a half years after her mother's suicide her 40 day old son died. In the book she writes about asking another priest, her mentor, if he'll accompany her to pick up her son's ashes at the funeral home. He replies that of course he will saying "It is the priest job to accompany the body. This is our job, Liz. You will not do that alone."  The reviewer comments "If we are Christians, we choose to accompany the body."

     When Joanne died, Pastor Mary, led a beautiful blessing of the body. Then she encouraged us, the family, to accompany Joanne as she was moved from the condo, down the elevator, through the lobby to the hearse waiting outside. It was a moving and powerful experience. 

     Accompaniment: Every year when I've completed my teaching stint at the school in Thailand there has been a big send-off party for me. At the conclusion of the festivities the faculty gather and accompany me to the vehicle that carries me away. That is always a moving and powerful experience.  Lutheran World Relief uses the word 'accompaniment' to describe their relationship with their partners in other countries. Is not accompaniment an apt description of relationship, both with the living and those who have recently died?   Thanks, Sam!

Takk for alt,

Al

PS A little 'pop-up' shower dropped .2" of rain on The Little House this afternoon. I wonder what the rain gauge in the field 4 miles a way will show?  Every little bit helps.