You are reading this on Halloween–Happy Halloween. For those raised Catholic, tomorrow is All Saints Day. But let’s be honest, both of these come from the earth-based traditions celebrated at the end of October–Dia de los Muertos in hispanic cultures and Samhain in pagan cultures. It is said that it is the time when the veil between the living and the dead is its thinnest, and, if you believe these things, it is the time when you are most likely to have dreams and visits from ancestors who have left us.
This congregation has had an unusually high number of ancestors leave us in the last few years and we’ve had a particularly sad Fall. This week, we have memorialized Ruth Braunstein and are preparing to celebrate the life of Jacob Fallon. We have two beloveds who are preparing to cross over the veil as I write this on Tuesday–Marina Hoffman and Jean Lawton. Every single death I have the honor of being involved in–whether I am visiting them before they die or preparing remembrances of them after they have died–is an absolute honor for me. Death is something that will visit us all someday and yet it is still one of the most sacred parts of being human.
When I think of our ancestors that have passed, I am also very struck by their impact on how I voted this election season. I think of our UU suffragettes who secured the vote for women–and how they likely couldn’t even imagine a woman running for President. I think of all the UUs and others who fought for Civil Rights and how we are still working to ensure that every person has an equal vote. I think of the American Founders–many of whom were progressive and radical Unitarians, no matter what the right wing may say–and how they dared to dream of a democracy where the people got to work together in community to determine our governance, not a king, dictator, or fascist.
For all of these things, I am doing a lot of praying these days. Prayers for our beloveds, our ancestors, our country and for our own tired and fragile hearts. I wish for you sweet memories of your ancestors during this sacred time.