True Simplicity

My brother, Mark, praying the rosary with my dad, James.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about true simplicity – the kind described by the 19th century Shaker song, “Simple Gifts.” The lyrics declare, “When true Simplicity is gained / To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed / To turn, turn will be our delight / ‘Till by turning, turning we come ‘round right.” I never really understood the meaning until recently.

True simplicity implies holding something lightly, as with open hands. It requires that we are free to respond to change or to learn hard truths we were not open to in the past. True simplicity allows me to turn and look at something from a new perspective. Recently, I witnessed my father’s surrender to the weakening of his body while in hospice care. After suffering a major stroke, my 91-year-old father  was paralyzed on his right side and unable to speak. I flew to California to be with him along with my nine siblings. We prayed the rosary, played sacred music, read scripture, and offered words of love and mercy. We really had nothing for our short “journey” with him besides hearts full of a deep longing to communicate our love and encourage him to let go and be with God. We “turned,” as the song relates, and met him with open hands so we could at least open the door to forgiveness and letting go.

Facing imminent death, I hope my father realized the true simplicity of what he carried with him into the next life. Ultimately, it was the love of his children and grandchildren, and the hope in our resurrection. I realized, in turn, that I had nothing to offer him but an openness to God’s love and mercy, for nothing else really mattered. As he held me with his deep penetrating eyes, I asked, “What do you want to tell me, Dad? I know that you love me. Don’t be afraid. You are loved beyond measure and God is more merciful than we could ever understand.”

What more is there to say?