Today’s Thought “Get Over It Already!” G. Ward

Deuteronomy 34:5-8

And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

 

The spirit of consolation has become as traditional as rabbinical demands permitted (In Moses’ day). Mourning for those deemed popular could last up to thirty days (What a long funeral!), whereas the commoner was grieved up to seven days. While the inevitability of death considers a varied tradition, rarely will organized efforts of consolation equal funeral’s prep. Many hang out at the home of the deceased eating chicken and pound cake until funeral’s end, and those closest to those who died are more vulnerable to grief than before because the party stopped. Moreover and unfortunately, there’s parameter for grief when those outside (the immediate family or friend) seek to castigate the grievous condition of those closest to the deceased; weeks or months thereafter.

Eighteen years ago many children awakened to a parent missing in action. Their grief continues as they contemplate what could have been, while some insist that depression should have subsided. Eleven years ago on this date my Dad died and my desire to hear his voice again remains…