84 years
I will soon be dead.
Where do I go from here?
I just turned eighty-three. It’s time to start thinking about the inevitable. I read the obituaries every day and I realize that, little by little, I am passing everyone who is listed there. I guess I’m getting old.
What do you mean grow old, Carl?
You walked past a graveyard the other day and two guys chased you with a shovel!
You don’t buy green bananas anymore!
You are old!
Come on Carl, stop being silly.
Ok, ok, continuing with the topic… Since the beginning of time, men have reflected on life after death. Exists? Is there a place we go after we die? Is there a heaven? What does it look like? Do we have wings? Are we floating on a cloud? What about hell? Shall we throw coal on an eternal fire?
Shakespeare wonders in his famous soliloquy, “To be or not to be”… To die, to sleep… no more… and by saying sleep we put an end to the pains of the heart and the thousand natural shocks that the flesh suffers. Hey you? It is a devoutly desirable consummation.
To die… to sleep… to sleep perhaps to dream? Yes! There is the problem!”
THE Egyptians, the ancient Indians, countless religions prepare their loved ones for the final journey in many ritual ways.
It is the great mystery. We don’t want our lives to end
Maybe that’s why we tend to avoid using the word die.
I once wrote a poem called “Let’s be real.”
Have not you noticed? Open your eyes.
In this day and age, no one dies.
When we grow old, weak and gray
And our heart stops. We just die.
Why do our friends sigh, wail and cry?
If in fact, we just went to sleep?
Let’s go. Face it. Give it a try.
Angels don’t take us
We die.
Well that is a definite thing and not what I choose to believe now.
Why? I go back to the argument I used in my last column.
Much more intelligent and respected people than I do believe that there is life after death.
Why shouldn’t I?
Furthermore, the God I worship and trust has promised me.
So I look forward to it as a great adventure.
I don’t think there is anything to fear. Think about it. If we can survive birth, why not death? We are so comfortable in the womb of our Mother. It is warm and safe. We are fed. No problems… No taxes… No policy… No rent to pay… Suddenly… Boom! We are thrown into the world. Someone pats us on the butt. We cry. We are hungry and cold. From now on, we have to fight to survive. Dying has to be a little better than that. God demands faith and that is what we need. It’s a better place.
Sometimes we are wounded with a sign. I want to share a personal experience that is true. You can choose, or not, to believe it.
My Blessed Mother died more than 25 years ago. She was very sick in a hospital in Florida and I came down to be with her. I was there for almost two weeks and had to go back to work. She was stubbornly still between us. So my brother and sisters left me alone to say goodbye to her before taking me to the airport. I was holding her hand and I said, “Just think mom, you’ll be with dad and all your loved ones soon.”
“Do you really believe it?” She answered. When I said yes, she sighed and said, “Well that’s not going to be good!” She then closed her eyes and went to sleep. I thought it would be a good time to go. Those were the last words I heard her say. “Well, that’s not going to be nice!”
A few days later I got the bad news and went back for the funeral.
A couple of years ago, I received a phone call from a lady. She told me that she had come to see me and we discussed the fact that she had psychic abilities and sometimes communicated with dead people. she didn’t remember her
So, I was very suspicious when she said, “I am communicating with you because your Mother has been coming to me in a dream and asking me to call you and tell you that you should take better care of yourself. You have also been working.” difficult and should go for a checkup.
I was wondering what he really wanted when he said, “Also, to make sure and tell you, yeah, it’s really nice”… I was shocked because he hadn’t told anyone about that final conversation. It was a private memory.
So, I think I have been wounded with a signal that I transmit to others.
Remember, I am 84 years old. I don’t tie anymore.
In my practice, I see people who are having a hard time grieving. I tell them they must allow themselves the right to do so. Grief does not end at the funeral. We don’t run a race and stop at the finish line. But I remind you that you are grieving the loss you experience. That the people we love and miss are in a better place and we are meant to be there with them one day.
People worry as to whether they will be admitted to heaven. They are loaded with guilt. Remember, God is a loving father. He is patient and forgiving. There is no need to worry. He will forgive you and welcome you back.
Back to stupid:
We only have two things to worry about.
Will we be okay or will we get sick?
If we’re okay, we have nothing to worry about.
If we get sick, we only have two things to worry about.
Will we live or will we die?
If we live, we have nothing to worry about.
If we die, we’ll only have two things to worry about.
Will we go to heaven or will we go to hell?
If we go to heaven, we have nothing to worry about.
If we go to hell
We’ll be so busy greeting our friends,
We won’t have to worry!
I am sorry! Back to seriousness.
Since we are finite in nature, the concept of eternity is very difficult for us to grasp.
A woman once said to me, “How could there be a heaven? Where would they put all the millions of people who have died? There wouldn’t be enough room!”
I asked him if he had ever looked at the stars on a clear, dark night.
A man once commented, “I don’t think I wanted to live forever. It would be so boring.” What he didn’t realize is that eternity is an eternal now. It is not many days, weeks and years. It is an eternal moment. That is very difficult for us to imagine. That is why it is a great mystery and adventure. Something I look forward to.
Do not misunderstand. not rush
I’ve got,
“Miles to go before bed and promises to keep.”
PS This all reminds me of a joke and people who know me will tell you that I love to tell jokes. So maybe I’ll leave you with a smile.
Abe dies and his wife Becky misses him. She decides to have a session. She is sitting at a round table with her friends in the dark, only one candle lit. They are holding hands. She suddenly hears… “Becky! Becky!”
-Abe, is that you?
“Yes, Becky, it’s me, Abe”
“Abe, how are you? Are you happy?”
“Oh yes, Becky. I’m so happy. All the cows! All the beautiful cows!”
“Abe, do you have cows in heaven?”
“What the hell… I’m in Argentina. I came back like a bull!”
