Take a Minute

Yesterday, our Hope College graduation ceremony had a challenging start to it. First, Hope Reynolds, a graduating senior, told her story of being diagnosed with breast cancer and all she has gone through in the past year. It was a tough story to hear and her journey is not over. But she was certainly inspirational. Then, it was announced that the senior class had voted the H.O.P.E. award (for outstanding educator) to Jennifer Hampton, who died in a car accident earlier this year. Whew!

It was thus perfect to have Daryl Van Tongeren, our psychology professor who has written much about suffering, give the commencement address. He did not start out much easier, reminding the students that they will die. In fact, their final assignment is to live a full life and the due date is their death, which may come at any time. In other words, don’t put off living your life. 

While this sounds depressing, he was really talking about something I’ve written on before, the tradition of memento mori (“remember your death”). It is a long-standing Christian tradition in which we focus on our death in order to live more fully. It recognizes the temporary nature of our existence and points toward the everlasting life claimed by Christ’s resurrection. As explained by Sr. Theresa Alethiea Noble (my favorite nun!):

Reflecting on death is not a morbid affair, it is a healthy and often healing practice that helps us accept the inevitable with hope. The eternal life promised in Jesus Christ is our ultimate, hoped-for end. Embracing the reality of death helps us live a better life now.

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” —Psalm 90:12

It is also a call to be grateful for what we have and what we experience. During this past year, being grateful has been harder than most years as we lost control over much of our life. Yet, as Van Tongeren noted, so much of what is important in life is found not in the big events, but the little events that make up our daily lives. Unfortunately, we are often too busy or distracted to notice.

Before we start another summer, take a minute to reflect on what you can be grateful for. Challenge yourself to go beyond the obvious (e.g. family) and look for what we should be grateful but often miss. Watch the video below that is narrated by Brother David Steindl-Rast, a 95-year-old Benedictine monk who leads a gratefulness movement. (No, I’m not trying to go all Catholic on you — Brother David is actually a bit too “new age” for me, but I do love this video). The video is less than five minutes and is a great way to start a day, a week, and even a summer.