Love and Death - Forrest Church

"Love and Death" was the title of Forrest Church's talk to a large GA group on Friday afternoon. Forrest spoke beautifully; this seemed to be a distillation, a concentration, of numerous previous messages into what will likely be his last words to many of us. He spoke of the most profound grace of performing funeral services, of the great improbability of each of us being here, and reminded us that grief is what trails after love. But, he reminded us that what remains after we die is the "love we give away before we go."

I was fortunate to be in the second row, and took a picture. The woman next to me leaned over, and said, 'let me see that picture'. She pointed out the spot above Forrest, and said, 'many of his pictures have that orb in them'. I do not know if such orbs are merely photographic artifacts, or have deeper meaning, a thinning of the veil, perhaps. At the very least, the orb is a fitting metaphor for attention to the journey through this life and into the mystery beyond, and I appreciate Forrest's contemplations on his journey.