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Spiritual Thoughts

Thanksgiving for 'life after life'

South Indian Lake is the community I grew up in, along a big beautiful lake, with many islands, large and small, and along the lake were miles of beaches on almost every bay. Every so often along the lake, there were long rock peninsulas.

We lived along the shore, near a small peninsula with two bays, one on either side. The favourite pastime in the summer was swimming, everyone loved to swim. I used to watch the older people swim from island to island.

One hot sunny day, there was swimming, all the children were swimming except me. I was not allowed to swim on that day, I remember I had been sick, maybe with a headache. I was quite disappointed because I loved to swim, too. So I sat alone on the edge of the rock hills, along the lake, by the beach where the children were swimming and playing in the water, I did not want to watch swimmers on that day.

While I was sitting on the edge of the lake, I noticed a puddle of water on the rocks near where I was sitting and in the puddle was something which I thought were little sticks, which looked like they were moving. When I looked closely, I noticed that these little sticks were moving in the water, they were swimming around in the water. While I was watching these little sticks (water bugs) swimming around, I noticed that one came out of the water, crawled up on the rocks and stayed there. Then I noticed many of these water bugs had come out of the water and were scattered all over on the rock. These water bugs that had come out of the water, sat out on the rocks, which looked like bits of mud everywhere.

I observed closely the one that I had seen crawl out of the water, I looked at it every few seconds. Suddenly I saw movement, I saw it move and in no time it had wings and off it flew. I saw it fly around happily, it was a dragonfly and I noticed many other dragonflies flying around. Some of these dragonflies flew close to where they came from as if to look into the water where they came from, some even went close to the water as if to try to fly back in. I was astounded! What a marvellous witness to such an incredible event!

I think that if these water bugs have such a spectacular, awesome experience passing from the water life as a water bug and enter into a life of a beautiful dragon fly clothed in multicoloured wings glittering in the sun, flying around in a new world of sunshine and atmosphere of air and endless beauty of the earth, I can only imagine how wonderful our human passing from this life to the next life will be.

This experience has helped me to come to understand life after life, the passing on from one life to another. My grandfather was a minister in the United Church where we lived and he often mentioned this "life after life." Each time I heard this expression, at that time when I was about eight years old and until now into my ages I still envision this beauty when I hear words and teachings of "eternal life," or "life after life" or a "passing."

The resurrection of Jesus proves to us how much God loves the human race; through him we receive what he called "life in all its fullness." Then there is life after death, what Jesus called eternal life. The rising of Lazarus was a sort of acted parable, to show us that each of us will be raised to a better life after we pass from this life on earth. The raising of Jesus is the proof for us that we, too, shall pass on to another life and be with God forever in Heaven.

Time and time again in the Bible we are reminded that God has promised another life after this earthly life, a life of eternal glory. I believe and I can only imagine what a glorious experience that will be when our time comes, the journey from this life onto the promise of eternal life, "Life after this Life."

What a wonderful reason to be thankful for, this Thanksgiving and all the days of our lives.

Praise be to God...

Rev. Agnes Spence is an ordained minister for the United Church of Canada and is presently the minister for the Weekend Supply Outreach Ministry in Thompson for the United Church of Canada. She is a lifetime volunteer in her home church, NCN United Church in Nelson House. Rev. Spence is a Certified Addictions Specialist 2, presently employed full time at Nelson House Medicine Lodge as the NNADAP Coordinator (alcohol and drug prevention program).

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