What I Believe About Life After Death

My friend Thomas died in August. His death was sudden and tragic. He and his 22-year-old child were killed in a car accident. Thomas was the priest who introduced me to Anglicanism a decade ago. He explained to me why ministers wear purple during the season of Advent, why people make the sign of the cross in church, why we take communion. He opened me up to a whole world that I didn't know existed, a world that feels enchanted, beautiful and poetic. He was also one of the first people I told that I was considering ordination, and he mentored and guided me through the yearslong process of becoming a priest myself.