Mortality Stares us in the Face

Hey guys, how has your day been?

Sorry for the late post. It's been a loooong day for me. My God-sister (if your mother is someone's God-mother, the person becomes your God-sister, ain't it?), who's also become a dear dear friend lost her mother so I travelled to their village in Enugu state for the burial today.

You can agree with me that nothing sobers one up like attending burials. Everything about the burial ceremony reminds you of your own mortality.  If you're an Igbo-Anglican and they sing the Igbo version of this hymn: "Fading away like the stars of the morning", you'd make a mental note to be good and live righteously for the rest of your life, I swear!! If only those sober moods will last, and remind us that one day we all will die and be buried.

I think about my death, and what happens when one dies. Do we go to heaven or he'll, or is there a land of the dead where people go to when they die? I guess we'll never really know until we die.  It was indeed a sad day! It makes me wonder if all these people that scheme and plot evil, trying to amass wealth by any means possible, killing and maiming at will; ever think about death and their own mortality.

Personally, I think the fanfare associated with burials in the Igbo land should be abolished. I mean, I lost a loved one for crying out loud, and I also spend millions to bury him/her and perform funeral rites?!! It doesn't make any sense. I admire Muslims in this regard, they just bury you and move on. Ours, we spend and even borrow to appease the kinsmen and perform the funeral rites, even when the dead person didn't leave any money for his/her burial. I told my brother today that when I die, they should just look for the nearest cemetery, bury me there and move on with their lives. He refused though, hehehehehe... He said he'd at least bring home and bury me. So, maybe the dead person's relatives don't mind spending the money and doing the lavish burial, but it's a waste of money, in my opinion.

Whatever you do, remember that from dust you came(if you believe the creation story), and to dust you shall return. Try and live well with people. I leave you with this hymn written by Dr. Horatius Bonar:

Fading away like the stars of the morning,
Losing their light in the glorious sun—
Thus would we pass from the earth and its toiling,
Only remembered by what we have done.

Refrain:
Only remembered, only remembered,
Only remembered by what we have done;
Thus would we pass from the earth and its toiling,
Only remembered by what we have done.

Shall we be missed though by others succeeded,
Reaping the fields we in springtime have sown?
No, for the sowers may pass from their labors,
Only remembered by what they have done.

(Refrain)

Only the truth that in life we have spoken,
Only the seed that on earth we have sown;
These shall pass onward when we are forgotten,
Fruits of the harvest and what we have done

Have a sober weekend. Make peace with people around you. You only live once, live it well.

Hugs....