Happy New Year!

2024 

I don't know if I ever thought that I would get this old, and if so, what would I think or want to think about my life at this point. I don't know if I ever set goals or dreams to achieve by this point in my life. What's the saying - if you don't know where you're going, you'll never know when you arrive? Maybe that's my situation - I'm somewhere ... but is this where I wanted to be? My answer - a vehement no ... but then, where? Where did I want to be? I don't know. And that's the problem. 

Hmm ... 

Many people set New Year Resolutions, things they want to change or become or do in the next year. For me, if I did that, I'd set myself up for failure, I'm sure. For the past few years, instead of NYResolutions, I've been giving my year a word. This will be "My Year of ...." and I'd fill in the blank. Over the last few years, I've given my years the words of Thresholds (2021), Metanoia (2022), and Ruach (2023).  I'm not sure if I wrote on those in the past (maybe I should go back and fill them in?), but this year, I've declared this The Year of Memento Mori.  Remember Your Death. 

That might sound morbid, or depressing, but it's not.  It's meant to contemplate that life has an endpoint, that this life will not go on forever. There is an end that we all will reach. Since I have gone to my share of funerals in the last couple of years, and since I reached the age last October that is the same one when my mom was diagnosed with cancer, I thought this was a good word for 2024. Memento Mori. Remember My Death. I will not live forever.

More fitting - if death is coming (which is a guarantee), what do I think still needs to be completed before I reach that? What 'songs' do I still have in me that need to be sung? What have I not yet done that I still NEED to do? Not want to do, but NEED to do?? Maybe another way, what is my purpose, have I completed that or what do I need to fulfill that? If I was sent to Earth for a reason (and I'd like to believe that is the truth), what is that reason? Have I done that? Completed that? And is there anything for me yet to complete? (certainly not the cleaning that surrounds me!) What has this life of mine led to so far? And where do I yet need to go? After all, if I had completed my mission, I'd be dead, right? And I'm not ... so, that would mean ... ??? 

On my phone, I have a picture. Where most people put pictures of their family or a cute saying or holiday photo, I put a picture that reminds me of my Word of the Year. This year the one I have is the photo to the right >. When I did a search, every picture connected to this word had a skull on it. This photo has the skull, but it also has a candle - to me, there's hope in that candle. It's not finished burning yet. There is still wick (life) left. The skull is there - death is there - but so is there still life.

So, the essence of all of this is - get going. Don't stop now. This is not the time to slow down. Figure out what you want and get doing it. Now is the time to determine that goal and move toward it. Death is coming. You don't want to die with that song still in you. That is my 2024 message to myself. And every time I open my phone, I'm reminded of it. 

How about you? What's your resolution? or what's your word? And how will that play out in your year for you? 

And with that, I better get going. Time waits for no man! (or woman!) Start with ... where am I going? The time for down random paths in random directions is over. Time's a-ticking! 

2024 Word of the Year - Memento Mori

 Remember Your Death

My last few years have been full of passings and chaos; I have entered that time in life where the generation befor me is slowly passing away and soon it will begin on my generation. I have not chosen this word to be depressing, but to be - that fire under my ass. That inspiration I need to set my mind forward. Whenever I see it, I want to be reminded that: I, too, shall die. and do I want to die as I am now? or are things there need to yet be accomplished and completed? And, if it's the latter and not the former, then I've got to get going. Time's a-ticking! I don't want to die with my song still in me.

The last few years have been hard; there’s been a lot of loss, a lot of finding myself in confusion and utterly alone. I have good friends, but there is still something absent. As 2023 ended, there was a self-discovery, one that I very much needed. And one that gave understanding and forgiveness for so much of my life that has gone before. And in that, I received hope. In a way I have not experienced before. I have hope that what I have been created for I can still achieve. I can still set my mind to it and make progress towards it. It has nothing to do with success for me; it has to do with bringing an awareness and a fulfilment to my belief on the ‘why’. Why were we created? Why are we here? The answer? Community. Relationships. And not just with the self and with others, but with all, with our world, and with God. We are all part of something bigger than we are. It’s not about me, it’s about us.

I threw the question into ChatGPT on applying Memento Mori to life.

This is what it had to say:

This can be a powerful practice for living more intentionally and meaningfully. One can do this by: (1) Reflecting on Mortality – Life is finite; what truly matters? What hill to die on? (2) Setting Meaningful Goals – Use this awareness to set goals that align with values; what to accomplish? What legacy to leave? (3) Practicing Gratitude – Cultivate appreciation for the small things, for people and experiences that enrich life; (4) Living with Intention – Make a conscious choice on how to spend time and energy; (5) Letting Go of Fear – Instead of fearing what might happen, focus on living fully in the moment; be where your feet are; (6) Forgiving & Reconciling – When this can be done, it is possible to release the hold grudges or resentment can hold over us; true peace and freedom is only then possible; (7) Carpe Diem – Don’t put off, make the most of every opportunity that comes your way; live each day in fullness of life! (8) Keeping a Reminder – Remember this phrase daily, allow it to form and shape your life. In this moment, am I living my memento mori?

In addition to those, I want to also keep a reminder that I have been sent with a Purpose. It is my path to move in that direction, for it is not my will, but Thine to be done. And THAT should tie it all together. Let it be so.

Remember – this, too, shall pass. I will not die with Your song still in me.

The picture above is the photo I chose to use on my phone this year. The skull head is the symbol for the phrase: death comes to all of us. But the lamp was something I particularly liked – a light, still burning, still with life. For me, the symbolism in both was strong.

My story is not yet over, I still have time and life yet to live. I don’t know if it has to do with age, or with the losses over the recent years, but something has definitely shifted in me. It’s like God has reached through and said, “You won’t live forever. I need you to do things; you need to get going on those things you need to do for Me. Carpe Diem – get the lead out!” God, I hear you. I’m not afraid of death; I’m afraid of dying before I’ve truly lived. You are my Guiding Star. Let’s go.