January 7, 2020 marked 13 years since my mom has been gone from this world. That was also my Aunt Phyllis’s birthday, her youngest sister, who just passed last Thanksgiving. It’s truly sad that as we live, we slowly get our hearts broken with every loss of a loved one. However, we can choose to see it in a more positive light once the grieving becomes “bearable.” Here on earth we have physical and time limitations. We could tell ourselves at least they are in peace without the same limitations but this means we must believe that they live on, not merely in our memories or in our hearts, but that the very soul they had here on earth is the same energy that resides elsewhere. They still know and love us. They are waiting for when it is our time. I like to think of this place as heaven.
Religion can muddy the waters for thinkers such as myself. Which religion is right? And if they are right, then someone is wrong. What if all religions are right? That when we die, we find out that each one is right in their own way, that it becomes perspective? I don’t necessarily want to question the Bible, but I do because there are too many variations, and whose version is correct? I feel I am not better than anyone else that I would go to heaven while someone who is taught a different religion would go to hell. Myself, I am a Christian. I pray to Jesus and I pray to God. This is what I was taught.
What I do know for sure is that a lot of people, including myself, have seen things that make you think we do move on to a better place that is full of contentment and love, forgiveness and warmth. Most of us struggle with the concept of death—our own and others.
It’s almost inconceivable for most of us that one day we will be gone, especially when we are in our prime. But the time will come in a moment that we realize it’s time to go. And I’m confident it is not just the end.
People who work in hospice have the most interesting stories to tell. I share my experience with others in hopes to help comfort them in some way from an average person’s perspective regardless of what religion they follow, or perhaps they don’t have any spiritual beliefs. I don’t know why exactly I saw what I did when my mother passed away but I definitely think it was supposed to be a story to share.
In the upcoming weeks, I will be sharing those experiences in this column. In the meantime, I will be praying for peace and safety for all who have been impacted by the recent natural disasters in this world. God bless!
Contact Paula at paulaparisot@gmail.com.
