Eulogy for Jimmie Lynn Loring July 6

Eulogy for
Jimmie Lynn Loring
July 6, 1958 --- April 12, 2010

There are many things in this world which are a mystery. One of those mysterious things for many of us is death. For many, we do not understand it. Some of us fear it. And some of us reject it. Yet, death is a part of life and this we must come to understand no matter if it is a mystery to us, no matter if we fear it, and no matter if we reject it.

I do not and never have viewed death as an ending to life. Throughout my life I have always known that it is simply a continuation of one's life in another form. A form that is not physical but metaphysical. Years ago I ran across some words once spoken by Chief Seattle and these words struck home with me because his wise words echoed my own feelings and suspicions about death. This wise man once said, "There is no death, only a changing of worlds." And, indeed, it is. That is all that death is, a changing of worlds. And so that is how I think of this death, the passing of my brother. He has simply changed worlds as one day I myself and all of us will change worlds. There truly is no death because it truly is only a changing of worlds.

My brother Jimmie had many friends. He was always well liked by most people who met him. He was on the quiet side most of the time. He was often slow to answer others and I think this was because he thought about what he said before he said it. I think he understood the power of the spoken word. That words are things and when spoken they have effects on those who hear them.

He, like myself, had a great love and reverence for nature. Many times over the course of our lives together we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere as we sometimes used to hike or hunt together. Sometimes we just used to drive out into the middle of nowhere and explore whatever we came across. I remember one time he took me out and showed me a very large cave he had discovered. It was great exploring it until we ran into a bunch of bats hanging from the ceiling in the dark. Then it wasn't so great as we fled for our lives! I don't think there were ever two young men who exited a dark cave so quick as we did that day.
Obviously, our explorations did not always turn out the way we thought.

Another time we walked up to the top of a mountain. It took half a day just to get to the top. It was great and it really gave us a workout. Near the top we began to see many very large mountain lion tracks. We didn't have to wonder where that lion was as he soon heard him growl. We didn't wait around to find out if that
lion was unhappy with us being on his territory. We went down that mountain rather quickly and it didn't
take us a half a day to get down it either. Again, our explorations into the wilderness did not always end
as we envisioned.

But we had fun and I have many memories of my brother and I. These are happy memories and those are the memories that I will hold onto. This is how I will remember him and each of you must hold onto the happy memories that you have of him too. For, it is those happy memories that will get us through this time of his passing, through this time of his changing of worlds.

The Biblical writers wrote that often in this world we look through a glass darkly. What they were trying to tell us is that we often do not understand things in this world. That things in this world are often like trying to see through a darkened glass. Maybe sometimes that is so but I do not agree with them when it come to the passing of our loved ones. I do not agree because I do not share the common human perception of life or of death. You see, most of us are made to think that our lives consist solely of our physical existence. Oh, we might think that we are made of spirit inside but we pass it off as something "out there" that comes after we die. But I don't agree with that perception. Rather, what I think and believe is that we are not physical bodies with spirits but it's the other way around. We are spirits temporarily housed within physical bodies because at the very core of our existence we are spiritual beings having but only a brief physical experience on this world upon the grand scales of what we call "eternity."

Our bodies come from this earth and when we pass on our bodies return to this earth. But, we, the true and real "us" go on existing. Our spirits never die and it is our spiritual essence that we truly are. Though we are no longer in this world, we continue onward never ceasing to exist, never ending. And that is the way of spirit. That is the way of each of our spirits, our true essence.

Over the years following a horrific accident he was a victim of, my brother suffered many problems stemming from that accident. I know that he frequently suffered but today there is no more suffering. Today all things are clear to him. Today he understands why he was here on this earth and what the purpose of his life was. And we too will know one day why we are here and what the purpose of our lives were too.

Jesus taught us that "God is love." The biblical writings teach us that, that love is so great and so inclusive that none of us can imagine or fathom how great it really is, how vast it really is, or how inclusive it really is. Those same writings also teach us that where fear dwells, love will not dwell and that where love dwells, fear CANNOT dwell. Love and fear are mutually exclusive. You either allow your heart to be filled with fear or you allow your heart to be filled with love. I know that Jimmie made the choice to allow his heart to be filled with love and that love was reflected in all he said and in all he did. And so each of us must do the same because it was that great Love which is of God that created each of us and it is to that great Love that we shall all one day return. And we must each come to the understanding and realization that this same great Love that surpasses all human understanding is, before anything else, the great purpose of each of our lives while we are here on this earth. We are here to learn how to love. We are here to learn how to hold onto that great love which must be reflected in each of us just as Jimmie reflected it in himself.

And, you see, I think that is the lesson that we have been taught by my brother Jimmie. That even though this world is sometimes hard and cold, that even though things sometimes happen which cause us pain and sorrow, and that even though we sometimes feel alone and afraid that great Love that surpasses our understanding is still there, still within each of us waiting...wanting to come forth for the whole world to see. Jimmie's life taught us about that great Love. His life reminded us just how powerful and inclusive that great Love born of God our Creator really is. It has NO bounds, NO limits.

So let us hold onto that lesson and to that great Love. Let us go through the remainder of our own lives
living that great Love and allowing it to reflect in us to others for the whole world to see. And in so doing
this will be the greatest tribute and honor to the memory of my brother, Jimmie Lynn Loring.

May the blessing of our one common great and loving Creator be upon you. May His light be made to shine upon you all the days of your life. May He comfort and strengthen you especially in this time. And may His great Love guide you in all that you do today, tomorrow, and forever.