Unexpected Unification Before Death

 

unification - noun - process of being united or made into a whole by joining or connecting (wordhippo.com).

What makes life interminably interesting is that it is often unpredictable and inexplicable. Related events can and do happen seemingly at random, perplexing us. Mysteries abound and surround, forcing us into the realm of interrogation in our attempts to make some sense of them. Inevitable death in itself is a question mark as no one can be quite sure of what happens to us after the lights go out. But it is possible to experience unexpected unification with someone of personal note before it. 

Case in point: Over the long holiday weekend, three deaths occurred, perhaps proving that bad things as well as good things tend to happen in three's. None of the deaths was particularly tragic as each person was over the age of 85, had lived a glorious life of privilege, and was and still is well loved. Two of my close women friends lost their mothers, and I, my favorite high school teacher, Mr. Joe T., who directed me as an inchoate actor in five plays and who subsequently became somewhat of a role model since I went on to pursue a career in theater. He and I had lost touch for many years, only to find each other again on Facebook. Joe and I had planned to get together for lunch P.P. (pre-pandemic), but at 91, he fell, broke a hip and after replacement surgery, wound up in a nursing home. His daughter Mary was kind enough to inform me via email that lunch would be off indefinitely. 

Even though I had not heard from him or Mary in almost two years, the week before his death, I kept thinking about him. I tried in vain to find Mary's email so that I could reach out to her and him if only to find out how he was doing. While scrolling through posts on Facebook on Wednesday, something I practically never do because I have so little time, I came across Joe's obituary. He had passed away the Friday after Thanksgiving, a few days after my attempt to connect with him. Yesterday at his funeral mass, I met Mary face to face for the first time. I mentioned my preoccupation with Joe right before his death, and we both came to the conclusion that perhaps Joe himself was somehow involved, perhaps he had wanted to unite with me psychically before leaving the planet and decided to possess my thoughts. 

Is it possible to be so inextricably bonded to those who have influenced us most, so united that they continue to motivate us subliminally? It is puzzling to think about what is normally perceived as impossible or improbable. Yet there are enigmas in life that can only be dissected for so long before we throw up our hands and accept the fact that there are no answers to our questions, our attempts to  understand what isn't supposed to be understood. Unification before death, unexpected or not, one way or the other can and does happen. And when it does, we somehow feel lucky because inherently we know that the bonds forged in life will remain unbroken in death. 

#word of the day, #vocabulary, #writers, #writers and poets, #words, #inspiration, #optimism, #inspiring words, #humor, #spilled thoughts, #motivation, #inspirational thoughts, #inspiration, #inspirational words, #words of wisdom, #affirmation, #optimism, #poets and writers, #writers community, #writers, #readers #writing