Who am I without my partner who has died?
Who am I without the job I held for so long?
Who am I without my good looks?
Who am I as my health declines?
Who am I, now that I can no longer drive?
Who am I, now that I am unable to contribute meaningfully to society?
Who am I now that I have to depend on others for care?
A who-am-I? crisis can trigger bouts of depression, grief, disorientation. So how can one handle a late life who-am-I? crisis? By recognizing the who-am-I? crisis is a spiritual crisis. By spiritual crisis I mean it is a crisis of meaning. What does my life mean now that I am no longer the person I used to be in my youth?
In later life, if we experience a who-am-I? crisis, we need to cultivate a deeper sense of identity, a deeper sense of meaning. Harvesting a deeper sense of identify and meaning requires letting go and embracing. Letting go, of our desire for security and control, and embracing our foundational worth as a child of God whose love sustains us in all things, even aging, illness, and death.
The three messengers of aging, illness, and death knock at our door with an invitation to remember that we have come from Love and are returning to Love. Who am I? You are a child of God enfolded in God’s love, NOW AND for all eternity.
Now that’s an identity to live and die with!