One of my favorite movies of all time is High Fidelity starring John Cusack. It also happens to be one of my favorite books of all time.
I love the story because of the insight into the culture around music—and people who love music—but also the insight into people who struggle in relationships and with growing into adulthood.
The characters in the story are constantly making top five list of various records and songs and artists (because that’s what we music geeks do), and towards the end of the film John Cusack‘s character Rob talked about his top five songs for his funeral. So this morning I started working on mine…
To tell you the truth, I do not (at least yet) have an “easy” relationship with death. I wantto say that I don’t have any concerns, and that I’m sure that I will easily pass from this life to the next.
But if I said all that I would be lying.
I think right now I still have thoughts about the injustice of it all, of leaving things undone and leaving people behind.
But on the other hand, if I reallybelieve the truth about faith, my life, and this world is true, I know that this—even death—can be something to be embraced and even savored and anticipated.
One day there will be healing where there is brokenness…
Clarity where there is confusion…
Contentment where there is anxiety…
Love where there is loneliness…
All of these things I really do believe, but still I guess it’s no great sin to still be a little bit afraid of the unknown.
Ultimately, I would like to think that I can wrestle with death a little bit over the next years of my life, and eventually, as Saint Francis put it, “make friends with death” before the end.
At the very least, remembering the inevitability of death is clarifying.
By the way, I was talking casually with my son, and I said told him the list that I was working on, He dryly replied I really hope walking on sunshine is not on that list.
(But even then, somehow there’s some powerful spiritual truth in that song!)
this is eric case 