@HomewithDean - Homily 09/11

It is September 11. A day of great significance and deep memory and loss for many of us. Life changed significantly after 9/11. When things we’ve always taken for granted end—be it people we love, or our sense of invulnerability, or the climate, or even a queen who it seems was always with us—it shakes us. It’s not just change. It’s endings that stir us up. Well, here’s another ending for you to consider. Summer is ending. As of this moment, the first day of Autumn is a mere ten days away. If you’re like me that’s good news. Autumn always puts me in a better mood. It’s beauty. It’s feel. The holidays. Everything. Autumn stirs up nostalgia, and I find myself remembering, re-evaluating, and returning to the search for meaning and purpose in my life. It’s when I most consciously slow down and search for happiness. And I think I’ve finally figured out why.<br /><br />Now please don’t freak out at what I’m about to say. It is not intended to be morbid or morose. Just the opposite in fact … For me, the secret of happiness that Autumn so clearly brings to mind is the painful, sobering acceptance of the inevitability of my own death. <br /><br />Really Dean? How in the world could facing death be the secret to happiness? Well, because I’ve come to learn that even though Death will ultimately end my life it has no interest in ruining my life. In fact, Death helps me sift and filter and improve my life. And whether we consciously realize it or not I believe it’s why we find such meaning in Autumn. In the language of the seasons Autumn has but one message, “Winter is coming.” Autumn is death’s foyer and as we step into it our response to it is almost a reflex, but the best of reflexes … we wax nostalgic about the past, we ponder the present, and we yearn live better, deeper, truer. It’s why we gather a little closer to one another. Why we hold one another a little tighter, for a little longer. You might believe the reason this time of year is special is because it’s where we’ve placed our holidays. But you’d be mistaken. A