Celebrate life by being prepared

Talk about it

Since ancient times, late October and early November have been set aside to peek behind the veil of death and contemplate the connection between the living and the dead. It is a time when we tell ghost stories and watch scary movies. We also remember those dear to us who have died. We also revere those who have lead exemplary lives of generosity, justice, and service. And we cut loose and have fun by dressing up and indulging our fantasies of adventure and alternate lives.

However you celebrate or observe Halloween, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, and Day of the Dead, there is something both playful and deadly serious about these days on our calendar. We are given an opportunity on an annual basis to confront our mortality and I’m going to suggest some ways that would be good and profitable for us to observe this time of year.

Emergency Preparedness

In case of zombie apocalypse (or some lesser catastrophe) are you prepared? Do you have a plan? Does everyone in your family know this plan? Do you have a kit ready? The Center for Disease Control has good resources for this including what should be in an emergency kit. If you had to leave your house in a hurry, do you have documents and items together in an easy to locate place? 

Living Will

Do you have an Advanced Health Care Directive? Has its existence been communicated to close family members? Do they know how to get ahold of it? These are extremely important if you have wishes to be carried out in case you are incapacitated and can’t communicate them to your health care workers or family. I realize this is no fun to think about, but it is a loving thing to do for your family and it will give you peace of mind.

Estate Planning

After you shuffle off this mortal coil you will leave a lot of things behind. What do you want to have done with the things you can’t take with you? Do you have a will written out and an executor named? Does it need updating? Organizing this is an act of love for your family and those organizations you care about to make sure they are provided for out of your estate after you have gone to your reward.

Sure, this is scary stuff, but it’s also important stuff and a very constructive way to spend these days when we remember the dead. We can take this opportunity as we pull back the veil not simply to recoil, or create frivolous diversions for ourselves, but to embrace our mortality and celebrate life by being prepared.

The Rev. Lawrence Lee has been the pastor of the United Church of Two Harbors since 2003 and wants to remind you that the first rule of Zombieland is “Cardio.”

Tags: religion, community