Advisory

Many of us have at least seen parts of the British response to Queen Elizabeth II’s death. There have been grand celebrations, processions, parades, and a glorious funeral service in the classic Anglican tradition.

As I was able to watch snippets of various activities, it is clear that so many people in that great nation are mourning. Mourning the loss of a queen, a true lady, a potent female leader, a generational symbol, and a way of showing up in the world with grace, a grace that is now largely lost at least in the political realm.

Grief, loss, and death are indeed an inherent part of this earthly life. In reflecting upon such things, I pulled one of my mom’s books of poetry off the shelf to re-read one of my favorite poems she wrote years ago. While she has been gone for some time, I can hear her voice in her words. Here is what she wrote in a poem titled, “Advisory.”

We must not grow too fond,
too fond of morning
when the sun is bright,
too fond of winter
when the ground is white,
too fond of Chopin’s fluid notes,
too fond of mountains
or of whiskered mountain goats.

And in the end, we must not grow
too fond of living. A portico,
this fragile earth is meant to be
a prelude to eternity.

Her words invite us to cherish life and all the wonder within it. But we are also reminded not to cling too tightly to what we find here. Indeed, we are living a prelude to eternity. Such a prelude was lived by Jesus in his life on earth and the path to eternity is promised through His resurrection.