October 28, 2009

Take' em With You

My 63 year-old sister Shelly, who’s been a nursing home resident since July, passed away yesterday morning at 5:15 am. She died in her sleep, alone. When the Pharaohs died they went to great lengths trying to take an entourage with them into the afterlife. As believers we’ve all been taught that passing from this life into eternity is an individual journey. Now I’m not so sure. Yesterday morning Shelly and two others from our relatively small nursing home passed away within five minutes of each other…maybe theirs was not such a solitary journey after all.

1 comment:

Steve Corey said...

Gail;

-----Before death we are in the company of others still in their physical bodies. Yet that company is only partial, for all our perceptions happen within the confines of the individual mind which is connected to the physical world only through our physical senses. So, even in our physical bodies, the greater part of our thinking and feeling soul resides within the solitude of our inner selves. The more we are willing to meet and match perceptions of others, the more we actually have company while in this body. Jesus’ account of the rich man and Lazarus, and His own preaching to the souls in the place of death before He returned to life, indicate there is contact and communication between spirits wherever they go after death. Since we who are still alive in our physical bodies have no contact with those who have died, and since those who have died may have contact between each other, there might be a portion of time between this physical life and death that is a completely solitary moment. However short or long that time might be, how perceivable it might be during the death process, and when the departed spirit is capable of contact with other departed spirits, are totally matters of speculation. My speculation is that one proceeds through a very short time of complete solitude before being in the company of the spirits of others dying nearby. I’ve often pondered the perceptions of the victims of bombings, airline disasters, and such. I speculate they quickly meet each other on the other side, and who could resist briefly comparing notes before making whatever step may come next?

Love you all,
Steve Corey