Looking to the brand new year ahead, I meditate on the Odd Fellow’s charge to bury the dead. Burial is not about hastily hiding the bygone away, to put them out of sight and mind. Burial at its best, is about thoughtfully reflecting on what it means to depart, to remain, to have hope, and to be forever changed.
Departure reminds us that tomorrow is not promised, so we must build a better world today.
Remaining reminds us of empty spaces left in our lives, but also where we can draw our human family closer to make the road less rough.
Hope reminds us of all that is still possible, and that transformation is a milestone and never an ending.
Change reminds us to humbly acknowledge our part in a vast and ancient cycle of creation, crumbling, and vibrant continuation — a cycle that makes us all kin.
Rolled in with all of these reflections is the chance to honor a common milestone of our whole human tribe, and also to acknowledge our personal mortal journey. As we bury the dead, we observe those things by actively and lovingly participating in another’s transition and send off.
As with all rituals: communal contemplation makes the revelations stronger.
Reading this, you may wonder if I’m expecting to take part in the bittersweet send off of a loved one. My answer is yes — but not today. My community is full of elders: some balancing normal health hiccups, some struggling with weightier things, all making the march toward a transformation that waits for us all.
Today, I just consider — as the seasons change and my own beard grays — the impact of burying bygone things, honoring how they served or schooled, and watching how every kind of transformation gives birth to new forms, and newer possibilities.
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