By Pam Peters-Pries
Why do we remember the dead? We remember simply because we loved them, and we long to see them again. We remember because we can't help it.
We remember the dead because we know that we will also die. We confront the mystery of the end of life and wonder what it was like for those we loved and what it will be like for us. What will it be like to be in heaven, to be with God? To be free of pain and sorrow? Will we see our parents, our spouse, our friends who have gone before us? Will we be able to look down and keep an eye on those who are dear to us, or watch them gather around our own casket and listen to them tell stories about us?
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We remember the dead to honor their lives and to learn how to live. To demonstrate that although they no longer walk with us, sit with us or talk with us, the impact of their lives on ours is not forgotten, nor is it finished.
We remember the dead, their lives, the goodbyes we shared or wish we had shared. We remember for all of the reasons that are important to us, and we say goodbye again.
