A Good Run

   L.Tom Perry, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, died last Saturday at the age of 92. Someone posted an article about his death on Facebook with a comment, "How sad". She was probably surprised at the comment I left, "92 years is a pretty good run". I could imagine her wondering what I meant by this comment. Why didn't I leave some sort of mournful response? Don't I care? You're supposed to feel bad.
  The reason why I left this comment is because I have a little trouble feeling really sad when an older person dies. This isn't because I'm a mean spirited person or because I don't like older people. In my experience most of the elderly fall into two groups. One group is those that have lived a mostly happy and successful life, who look back on their years with satisfaction and are blessed have family or close friends nearby,but have bodies that are simply wearing out due to age. Then there are those whose years especially their later years have been marred by serious illness, pain, loss and tragedy. I would not begrudge the people in the latter group release from their pain or the former group a chance to go to whatever afterlife they believe in.
  When my paternal grandparents died, after the viewing and a short prayer service, we went to a restaurant to eat. We were all catching up on news and chatting. A waitress asked us what brought us all together. She was told that we were there for a funeral. Instantly she was apologetic, like she had done something wrong. I think the fact that we weren't crying and sad confused her. The fact was my grandparents had lived a good life. We would miss them, of course, but they were in their mid 80s. These things happen.
  When Rinaldo, my maternal grandfather, died we gathered in a hotel room the night before the funeral. We had snacks and things to drink. We spent time telling stories about him and talking about his life. There were a few tears and some laughter as we remembered some of the things he did. We were going to miss him. We knew that he had never been the same since my grandmother, his wife, had died nearly ten years earlier. We hoped that he would find her so they could be together again.
  I've been fascinated with the African-American practice of the Homegoing celebration. According to what I have read it may be in place of or in addition to the traditional funeral. The belief is that when a person dies she/he goes back home to live with God. It as viewed as a time of joy because the person had gone to a better place.
  When I was younger I read a lot about Wicca. Wiccans view life as a spiral or a wheel. There is no end, but there is change. When someone dies it just means that they have transitioned from this world to somewhere else. They are not lost, just changed or elsewhere. This gave me a lot of comfort in those years.
  My beliefs have refined a bit from those days. To me death is only the end of the physical body. The soul or spirit of a person lives on and goes to the spirit world. There spirits can be reunited with those who have gone on before. Eventually all will be judged and will go someplace where they will be comfortable and happy.
   Somewhere I saw a picture of a statue inside the front entrance of a funeral home. On one side there is a figure of an old woman. She is glancing over her shoulder and moving toward a veil or curtain. On the other side of the veil is a figure of the woman, now younger, moving toward a figure of Jesus who is standing with outstretched arms to welcome her. This is a good visual representation of what I believe.
  This makes my earlier comment a bit more understandable. I do feel bad for Elder Perry's family, his associates in the Quorum of the Twelve and his friends. They will miss him. I'm sure there are many church members who will miss his talks at General Conference and some of the things he did. (He once gave a fellow quorum member a fist bump as they left after a session of General Conference.)
   I read the comment section after an article announcing his death. One mean spirited person suggested that Elder Perry was about to experience the flames of hell for misleading so many people during his life. What a horrible thing to say! God doesn't work that way.
   My belief is that by now Elder Perry has checked in with whoever is standing at the pearly gates and is either working on or on his way to his next assignment. Thank you for all you have done Elder Perry. I'm sure you are keeping busy. Hope to see you again.