Moving On

Many people start dreaming long before retirement about finding a better place to live, where they can enjoy doing the things they love most.

Nonetheless, there is something bittersweet about actually moving away from a family home, where our children have grown up, and where we spent some of the happiest days of our lives.

Kathy and I came to our Vancouver house when our son Michael was five, and our older children were seven, twelve and fourteen. Since then, our house has rung with laughter and parties for both children and adults. This old house, in this lovely neighbourhood, and in a great city, has been very precious to us!

But the time has come for moving on. One by one our children have moved out to seek their destiny elsewhere. Only Michael has remained with us in the old house, and he has spent most of his time away with friends. Fewer people have been eating at our table recently; usually just Kathy and I, and we now look beyond home for our social activities.

Our old house has been needing many repairs: the kitchen floor needs to be replaced; the dishwasher is broken; windows are hard to open and close; the hallway floor creaks because of a loose board. However, since we are now retired, we have decided to build a new and better home.

We are now moving to a virtual paradise on the Pacific Coast 40 miles northwest of Vancouver. We have an lovely acreage with mature trees, both fruit-bearing and decorative. There are colourful bushes and flowers in bloom much of the year. We are also building a wonderful new house with the help of an inspired architect.

The situation of our old house in Vancouver reminds me strikingly of my aging body. I am now 60 and although in good health, I realize that my body will wear out within a few more decades. Although my parents lived until their 90’s, I can not count on good health for that long.

My body has more creaks and pains than ever before, despite getting regular exercise and eating healthy food. My shoulders ache. My legs are sore sometimes. My digestion is not as good as it used to be. I am progressing through the normal stages of aging. Fortunately, I still look relatively young for my age. But I have no illusions that that I can continue long in the prime of my life. Soon I will become older still and then will come the time for the ultimate Moving On.

The prospect of giving up my old body is not as frightening for me as it is for many people. I still hold the beliefs of my parents and ancestors of a wonderful Home of the Soul where our spirit can go after our death. While I cannot describe this pace with accuracy, I sometimes get a deep longing to be in Heaven, where all is joy and peace.

I realize that my belief in Heaven is not shared by all. Many people regard belief in Afterlife as just lingering superstition. I cannot prove them wrong. But let me give you a few considerations.

Virtually every ancient culture worldwide has believed in an afterlife for the spirit: Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Polynesians, Africans, and Native Americans, among others, have all held this common belief throughout history; there are few cultures without this belief. One could conclude that all cultures suffer from common wishful thinking. On the other hand, perhaps these traditional cultures, less distracted by modern technology, have demonstrated a common access to a realm of the spirit that we have nearly lost.

These visions of Heaven have included an end to all suffering, pain and tears. It has been described as a realm of beauty and splendour, where glorious music and wonderful scenes bless those who enter there. Some people today still encounter this glorious place in their dreams and times of meditation.

So as I move on from my Vancouver house and consider that I will one day also giving up this body which houses my spirit, I am struck by similar feelings of poignancy: both seem like moving on to a Far Better Home.