October 18, 2023

“There really is nothing more
interesting about us than that we die.
I really think that.”
– Ross Gay, Inciting Joy

Beloveds,

I was recently surprised to find the above tucked into the middle of poet Ross Gay’s book of essays exploring joy. It struck me as one of those statements I encounter from time to time that are simultaneously surprising and immediately recognizable as true, in the sense of breaking open some bit of truth that was previously (by me) unexplored. (I really like reading–and highly recommend–Gay’s essays because they contain a rather high proportion of such sentences.)

Gay suggests that death is one of the most significant things we human beings share with each other and with all living things. The knowledge that we die, along with the shared experience of grief, writes Gay, provides some of the most potent experiences of  connection, which are also sources of joy and delight. 

I sometimes wonder if you get tired of hearing me talk about connection, but I am unlikely to stop anytime soon. In the midst of everything (by which I mean community and global warming and politics and fear and joy and beautiful weather and war and capitalism and hope and corruption and generosity and love), connection is just about the only thing I am sure of. It seems to be what I believe in, rather like others believe in God. 

I also wonder what you believe in, what you find most interesting about being human…drop me a line, if you’d like! 

Yours in faith and in joy, 

Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org