I have been traveling since Sunday after services. My aunt Sheryl (My dad's last surviving sibling) passed away. It has been a weird few days. Emma went with me and we were able to see my mom for a couple days while we were in Nashville. We were in the car for about 8 hours a day for 4 of 5 days. Emma and I had a great time together, taking it slow, having great conversations.
Sheryl was lonely. She was divorced in the late 70's. She lost her only son in 1984. Her dad died in 1988 and her mom in 2001. Her last brother died a year ago.
Most of us let life pass us by. Life lives us instead of us living life.
Some of us learn to thrive, to live mostly in joy and excitement, and deal with the occasional heartache.
Sheryl was in the smallest majority. Since Earl died in 1984, Sheryl lived life in darkness; with a cloud of depression and hopelessness hanging on top of who she was and what she did. She was very rarely, but occasionally able to break out of the darkness and find some light.
Sheryl was sometimes able to find a small purpose in taking care of others.
What Sheryl lost -- when she lost Earl & then to a lesser extent when her parents died & then lesser still when she lost each sibling -- was her sense of purpose.
Instead of thriving in life, she learned to survive.
I am worried that this is what most of our churches are doing -- just surviving.
I'll continue this thought more in the coming days.
In the next post, I will share with you what we have lost.
