Category Archives: Death

On Not Waiting to Be the Hummingbird (redux)

Posted on July 15, 2019 by KGJ

The Life and Death of Lee Hawkins First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque July 14, 2019 A quarter century ago, I asked the coordinator of my grandmother’s hospice care, how my grandmother was doing – not medically, but spiritually.  She said … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Sermons, Unitarian Universalism | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Visit to Steelmantown Cemetery

Posted on July 6, 2017 by KGJ

I don’t remember ever needing or wanting a burial spot, though I do remember thinking about it from an early age. When one looks at my family, there are many ways to respond to the dead human body and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Travelogue | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Befriending Death: An Excursion (sermon)

Posted on March 26, 2017 by KGJ

The Unitarian Society, East Brunswick, NJ Our reading can be found here. Dylan Thomas’ most famous lines are these: Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Death, Sermons, Unitarian Universalism | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Prayer for Liminal Time

Posted on November 1, 2015 by KGJ

A liminal time, this… when the veil between life and death grows thin, when the rhythm of day drawing breath shows itself in the crackle of umber leaves, in the moon rising low in blue autumn sky. Many named: Samhain, … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Prayers, Unitarian Universalism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Adieu Enlivened Stardust

Posted on October 21, 2015 by KGJ

The enlivened stardust called Otis these past twelve years has been returned to the earth. We knew it was coming. Thought it still yet days away, but the night just past harder than any soul should have to bear, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Poems | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Not Waiting to be the Hummingbird (sermon)

Posted on May 24, 2015 by KGJ

On Not Waiting to be the Hummingbird: The Life and Death of Lee Hawkins First Parish Church of Groton May 24, 2015 [For audio version, click here.] Two decades ago, I had the chance to speak with the coordinator of … Continue reading →

Posted in Chaplaincy, Death, Sermons, Unitarian Universalism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tiny Resurrections: Easter Sunrise 2015 (sermon)

Posted on April 5, 2015 by KGJ

The loss has been real. The darkness. Its apparent permanence. Hope cruelly stolen. Two millennia ago, we could not speak in the past tense, as we do now. We wouldn’t have found the rock rolled back, not quite yet. We … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Hope, Sermons, Unitarian Universalism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Winning His Battle with Brain Cancer: A Good Man Has Died

Posted on February 28, 2015 by KGJ

Yesterday, my friend Mark Green died.  We knew each other in college.  In our first year, we narrowly avoided a one-night stand without loss of dignity or friendship.  In later years, at mutual friends’ wedding, our girls turned out to … Continue reading →

Posted in Death | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Memento Mori (poem – video)

Posted on February 8, 2015 by KGJ

If all you do with this post is spend 4:15 minutes watching this clip, that is enough.  But there is a bit of (con)text below… [youtube=http://youtu.be/4eAgUx508hg] Memento Mori is a Latin term. It has multiple translations, all approaching a concept … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Poems, Poetry, Unitarian Universalism | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments