If You Want To Sing Out...

It's really kind of sad for a blog when its author is down in the dumps, consumed with the heavy issues, like death.  After a little thinking I figured, this is a blog written about my journey and my journey does indeed include death. 

Husby's mom is hanging in there.  These last few months have taken a toll on Husby, and in turn on me.  The inevitable has once again brought to light many of my thoughts and beliefs on the subject of death and dying.  I have no anxiety about death, my own that is.  Not now.  I think the secret to feeling stress-free about one's own death is to develop a belief system that works for you.  Just make one up if you have to.  There are so many schools of thought, religions, psychological constructs upon which one could develop a belief system about death and dying.  Find one that works for you and stick with it.  Because you know what?  No one knows for sure what it's all about, so we might as well live our lives believing in the best possibilities. 

Mrs. Husby triggered this in me when she said, "the Lutheran church doesn't want you to pray to or talk to your parents after they're dead - they're in God's hands."  I've never been Lutheran so I don't really know if this is true or not, but I responded to her with "that's ridiculous!"  She agreed.  Don't let someone else tell you how death is, how to relate to your loved ones after they have died, or what you should or should not be thinking about regarding your own mortality.  Make something up I say!  Make it happy!  You're the one who has to live with the belief system your entire life, so you might as well make it good.

So here's what I think.  If you want to believe in an afterlife, make it the best one you can imagine.  If you want to believe in reincarnation, take your pick of how you'd like to come back to this earth.  If you believe all people go to heaven, make a list of all the people you want to meet once you get there.  If you believe there is nothing after this life, live this one the best you can.   If you can't make up your mind what you want to believe, anticipate the wonder of the journey upon which you will someday embark.

As Cat Stevens wrote, "...there's a million ways to go, you know that there are."