Henri Nouwen Society - Daily Meditation
The Companionship of the Dead - from Henri Nouwen's Bread for the Journey

As we grow older we have more and more people to remember, people who have died before us.  It is very important to remember those who have loved us and those we have loved.  Remembering them means letting their spirits inspire us in our daily lives.  They can become part of our spiritual communities and gently help us as we make decisions on our journeys.   Parents, spouses, children, and friends can become true spiritual companions after they have died.  Sometimes they can become even more intimate to us after death than when they were with us in life.

Remembering the dead is choosing their ongoing companionship.

- Henri J. M. Nouwen

For further reflection...

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." - Hebrews 12: 1 (NIV)
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Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson. Scripture chosen by L. Yeskoo.