JULY 22
To live in the religious spirit is not easy; the believer is con-
tinually on a deep sea 70,000 fathoms deep...It is a great thing
floating on 70,000 fathoms of water and beyond all human
aid to be happy: it is a little thing and not at all religious to
swim in shallow water with a host of waders...No matter
how long the religious man lies out there, it does not mean
that little by little he will reach land again. He can become
quieter, attain a sense of security, love jests and the merry
mind. But to the last moment, he lies over 70,000 fathoms of
water.
—SOREN KIERKEGAARDWhen we have lost a loved one, we are especially attuned
to the world of the spirit. At the same time there is a sense
of being cut loose from our moorings. We are, figuratively
speaking, “at sea.”
Perhaps these words of Kierkegaard can help. We are,
indeed, afloat over deep water, with all our questions about
the meaning of life, the nature of death. We were never in
control, though perhaps we thought we were.
Then, after a while, with our questions still spinning in
our heads, we learn to trust the sea—that it is buoyant and
will bear our weight.
I will rest back on the ocean of unknowing, trusting that I can ride
its swells and its troughs without peril.