Honouring memories of loved ones

It’s Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday this week. They began in order to remember those who die in conflict but the whole of November is devoted to remembering the dead in many Christian traditions with feast days on 1st and 2nd November when we celebrated All Saints and All Souls. In some countries there are huge celebrations of the Day of the Dead. It’s where Halloween comes from – All Hallows’ Eve.

I think the level of national mourning with huge queues to walk past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II showed that honouring and remembering the dead is not confined to any nationality, religion or creed. It’s a human instinct to remember. We have evolved as humans telling stories to help us remember our past and our ancestors.

Whilst the act of remembering can be painful immediately after the death of a loved one it can also bring great comfort and tears of joy as well as sorrow. We lost dad 17 years ago now and while I still miss his presence at times, I am used to his absence. Remembering him, talking about him and recalling some of the daft things he did along with the wisdom he shared gives me great comfort. He was a man who led by example. He didn’t tell my sister and me to be a good friend, a good listener, to be someone who could be trusted, he modelled it in his behaviour.

When Queen Elizabeth died there was so much talk about how she led by example. The example of service, of dignity, of what it meant to be a Christian.

This month as I remember family and friends who have passed away I will be asking myself what they taught me and how I can choose to honour their memory by remembering those lessons.

So a short and sweet one this week. What wise lessons will you recall and choose to honour?