Sunday, January 17, 2010

DEATHBED WITNESS

Not wanting to come across as being morbid or anything, but I've really been curious as to the frequency that others have experienced the transition of someone passing from the physical to what I like to refer to as, the sublime. I posted this same topic on a thread in a forum that I'm a member of as I became curious about this when thinking of my Dad recently and reflecting on what I experienced when he passed away back in Feb. of '04. Although the circumstances were tragic, our whole family (as well as some friends) were fortunate enough to be with him, surrounding his bed where he lay at the hospital. On our decision, the attending physician removed his life support and we stood and waited for him to take his last breath.

It was quite surreal as I'd never experienced a moment like this in my life and I realized everyone who stood witness were dealing with this situation in their own private way. Just moments before he slipped away, he suddenly opened his eyes (he'd been virtually unresponsive over the last couple of days aside from the occasional reflexive motions). My daughter, 18 at the time, was standing next to his head and suddenly moved closer shouting 'Grandpa', but he just stared straight ahead without appearing to notice her facing directly in front of him. He remained like that for only a moment before closing his eyes again. It seemed as though he was fixated on something that was invisible to the rest of us. It was shortly after that when the doctor placed his stethoscope against his chest and shook his head telling us he was gone.

At that point, I remember everything in the room taking on a particularly bright hue and as I looked around, I wondered if he was in fact, watching us and also wondered if he was now at peace. I know that when it was my turn to give him a kiss goodbye, I was very aware that the shell laying before me was definitely not my father and if you can believe, felt almost a moment of envy. As though, he now had the answers to the universe and us poor saps in the physical had been completely left in the dark.

So, that's my story. It was quite the experience and rather than being what I would have previously believed to be a tragedy, it was in fact, an extremely profound moment - one that I'll never forget. Having said that, I invite you to share any similar experiences you may also have had in regards to an event as just described. I look forward to hearing your own stories.

http://www.theguidedsoul.com

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