Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.
Prince
Most of the time, the definition of “sacred” has to do with religious objects or observances, but there are aspects of life that are, and should be, acknowledged as sacred — “highly valued and important” and “worthy of reverence and respect.”
I was at the funeral of a friend’s husband when this sudden awareness of sacredness stole my breath and brought tears to my eyes. The funeral home was packed. My friend’s husband wasn’t particularly religious, so there were no overtones of church creed or doctrine, but in the hushed silence of those gathered to remember one who died in his prime I recognized shared grief as a sacred thing.
Now I recognize it at weddings, when everyone stands for the bride’s entrance, at the sight of new parents with a newborn, at ceremonies for graduations, at shared times of prayer, and in the presence of natural phenomena like rainbows or lightning storms. The sacred is all around us, we just have to see it.
We may have to look in different directions than we once did, as much of what we once held sacred as a society has been tainted by bad behavior and hypocrisy, but we can still find it. When we do, the trappings of ego fall away. We’re reminded of our shared humanity, and that we’re all in this thing called life together, whether we like it or not, whether we agree with one another, or whether we have much of anything in common besides being skin bags of dirt, water and a handful of chemical elements. Sometimes that’s enough.
By Niki Turner | [email protected]