The Unbearable Goodness of Being Alive

A theologian named Louis Smedes recalls a time in his life when he came very close to death.  He was given a 20-1 set of odds that he would not make it.  Smedes writes of that moment in his hospital bed in which he experienced the “unbearable goodness of being alive.”  At that moment, close to death, he understood this:  “I learned that gratitude is the best feeling I would ever have, the ultimate joy of living.  It was….better than winning the lottery, better than watching your daughter graduate from college, better and deeper than any other feeling.  It is perhaps the genesis of all good feelings in the human repertoire.  I am sure that nothing in life can ever match the feeling of being held by a gracious energy percolating from the abyss where beats the loving heart of God.”

Thanksgiving is fast upon us and this year I will be reflecting upon the “unbearable goodness of being alive.”  To give thanks to God, to give thanks to others—these are the things that keep us human.  Let this be a November full of Thanksgiving, not just on November 24th, but the whole month, every morning that we wake to a new day. Thanksgiving, as a national observance, belongs to no single religion or faith tradition. Rather, it's a time when people of many religions (and of no religion in particular) express their gratitude for life and all its gifts.  It is an ideal time for people of many faiths and conscience to come together to celebrate and we will be doing so this coming Sunday, November 20th at 3:00PM in the Life Center.  This Thanksgiving Interfaith service will offer readings, music, meditations and other unique presentations from different faith traditions, and will include the participation of residents and outside clergy in our gathering to say “thank you” together!  The beatitudes campus Choir will sing “Our Hearts Are Filled with Thanks” and the Rev. Dr. Dosia Carlson will lead us in singing a new hymn that she has written and dedicated to Paul and Sybil Eppinger called “With a Passion for Unity.”  Won't you come join us?

Author Info: Peggy Roberts

Chaplain Peggy Roberts is Vice President of the spiritual Life Department here at Beatitudes. Peggy was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and has served in pastoral ministry as well as being a hospice chaplain.