Near Death

There isn’t a day goes by when I am not in touch with somebody who is dealing with a life close to ending. Or a death approaching, soon or predictably – quite a bit later. The usual measure of time doesn’t seem to come into it – a moment can seem like a life time. Hours slip by in a blink of an eye. My own father died January 29th 2000, quite suddenly and without warning, although he was elderly he was fit and well by all appearance. Nineteen year ago. He is long gone…and yet… Still close.


I see friends and family struggle with the loss of a loved one…and I’ve stayed silent about my experience. While nothing but time can alleviate the pain of loss, I can’t help but feel that as a card-carrying member of this exclusive club ( near death survivor), I have inside knowledge that might alleviate a different kind of pain — the pain of imagining the final moments, what might have been going through their minds, and whether they made it to the other side in peace.


Christen O’Brien – Medium

The above quote is from a piece by a person who experienced near death, and survived. This is not rare.

This post is for all those who grieve a loss and specifically for Norman and for Rachel. And for Kate S too. And so many more.

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3 thoughts on “Near Death”

  1. Hi reverend – that christen O’Brien link was an amazing read .. I’m struggling with accepting death and that YES we are all going to die!! Now I have this irreversible condition called COPD and I’m trying to come to terms with it all but in a possitive way.. I’m frightened of death for whatever reasons even in childhood I used to fear it – acceptance is the key I know… 🙏🏿

    Gary

    1. My sympathy Gary. Really COPD is testing to say the least. Not getting enough air into ones lungs is a small death in itself. I think there isn’t a person alive who isn’t, or hasn’t been, afraid of death. What I though with this article is that ‘something’ kicks in when one is really REALLY in need. As it was for the woman in the article. In a small way I’ve found myself in physical extremety and have experienced this amazing calm acceptance. It’s like death isn’t an issue, the calm is so much greater, eclipsing every worry that you would think would be there.

      I presume you will have listened to the radio program, Radio 4, about how dying goes. Another affirming that death isn’t, or not necessarily, the big drama of suffering one might imagine it to be. Here is the link http://www.jademountains.net/lifedeath-close-together/

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