IS THERE LIFE AFTER DEATH???

Just saw "Hereafter", the new movie by Steven Spielberg and starring Matt Damon--. It was a nice respite from the political whirl we find ourselves in this month. The movie was about a man who seemingly could connect with the departed and even have brief conversations with them---conversations! See? A good chat may even go on after life---we really need to keep honing our skills!

The real crux of the story, however, was of the heartbreak of losing a loved one, and the yearning to re-connect, if only for a moment, and even if it's using someone else as a go-between. We cannot seem to accept the finality of death, and our hearts break over and over again as life dishes out the good-byes, one by one. It is the fate of our humanity that we live to die, but it is in our DNA to resist and rail against it, even though we know it is inevitable. But in the movie, one of the characters has a near death experience, in which she catches a glimpse of life hereafter. She knows it is true, and it changes her perspective and the direction of her life. There have been many who have written books on this issue, and most accounts of near death experiences are very similar. The scientific jury is still out on this topic, with some saying, the visions of a life after death are attributable to chemical and physical changes that happen to our bodies as we disengage from them. Still, the stories keep coming, and they bring with them intrigue, hope, and joy. Some even report that they did not want to return to this existence, as the one they had seen was indescribably better.

The movie depicts much of the sadness, stress, and turmoil of this life, but ultimately the happiness that is found in relationships that make being human so worthwhile---the exquisite love between a child and mother or a sibling--and of course, the magical love of two people who find each other and know that they belong together. But when separation happens, the pain can be almost unbearable for those who are left behind. And so, we seek solace in imagining and hoping for life after death---where we will meet our loved ones again---and sometimes even before, as depicted in the above mentioned movie. It's a dicey deal to make contact with the spirit world, and no one has ever proven it can actually be done. We are God's children, but we are also of the earth----heaven must wait, and so must we.

We are made for life's long journey----resilient and tougher than we know. Our hearts may break, but still we move on, heal, and love again. Most of us cling tenaciously to life, right on to the end, though I have a friend that insists that if she ever is afflicted with Alzheimer's, she will do away with herself---I hope she forgets to do it. It's not nice to return a gift, and I think it is written somewhere that there are no returns or refunds. But it does seem unfair, unjust, and even illogical that we should have to be extinguished at some point---and that is the great question of our existence. Why? For our sins? For some great cosmic plan? And what happens after our last breath? Many faiths offer answers, but no one knows for absolute certain. If only we could know that death is just a door to be walked through--if only someone could return and tell us so--according to the Christian faith, someone has. His name was Jesus Christ. We can either choose to believe it or not. When my father passed, I was there. I can tell you that even before he took his last breath, I knew without a doubt that he was undergoing a spiritual change---I could see it, feel it, and was awed by it. He had been transformed before he took his last breath, and it was crystal clear----it was as though I was seeing through to his soul. He was still my dad, but such a different version of him. I suppose you can say that my own personal beliefs colored my witness of that incident, and maybe you would be right---but I wasn't looking for and thinking of anything other than ways to comfort my dad in his last hours. I was profoundly changed by what I saw---and given hope and peace that there is a plan and a place for us, after all, and after here. Perhaps the many reports of life after death are God's way of telling us--"Do not worry, you are not alone, I am here---and I am waiting for you." And quite likely he might add----"Get your act together---and for God's sake, stop fighting, whining, and worrying incessantly. Enjoy the here, do your best, take care of each other, and I'll take care of the after."

As a child I was warned to stay away from the world of witch craft and fortune tellers----and I have. I was taught that there is indeed a spirit world, but that not only the good inhabit it----and we'd best keep our distance from it all. Ouiji boards even scare me. I have never tried to contact the dead, nor do I plan to. Movies about exorcisms make me want to hide under the bed. I prefer to keep my focus among the living. Recently a local fortune teller was found murdered----apparently she didn't see it coming---or her husband, who is now accused of the crime. If he did it, he's going to have some serious 'splainin' to do, and I hope his wife is waiting for him at the pearly gates----but more than likely, someone else will beat her to it. And He may have already chastened her for messing with His territory-----our job is to live this life to the best of our ability, and I like to think most of us are doing the best we can; His job is to show us the way home someday. May we all get there, and may we be met at those gates with a God who is more loving than judgemental, more kind than just, and who will greet us then with perhaps ---"Welcome, to the Hereafter, otherwise known as "Forever". I hope He likes to chat---'cause I've got lots of questions. But then, maybe He'll have a few for me---