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The Spirituality of Dying, Part 1
The Bible says in Revelation 14:13: “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” The featured quote for this episode is from H.P. Lovecraft. He said, "That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange eons even death may die." Our topic for today is titled "The Spirituality of Dying, Part 1" from the book, "The Art of Dying: Living Fully into the Life to Come" by Rob Moll. Because of his Alzheimer's, my hospice patient, Edward, and I were never able to communicate well. I would get off the elevator in the convalescence center, look around the tables where the elderly and ill residents occupied themselves with simple games, slept or watched the activities outside. Each week for a year I scanned the tables and looked for Edward, leaned over in his wheelchair asleep. I usually woke him up, knowing I was one of his only visitors and that he'd be glad to have someone to talk to. I'd ask Edward questions, and he would mumble answers. Sometimes he would talk very intelligibly, and I understood every word. But even then his mind was confused. I understood his words, but they made no sense. Even on good days I could never play much of a role in the conversation. I often simply nodded agreement with him and asked Edward to tell me more. Though we could never carry on a meaningful conversation, I continued to visit, and over the course of a few months I thought Edward began to appreciate my presence. There was never anything particularly special about our relationship, but he would smile as I arrived and tell me it was good to see me and to have a good day when I left. I discovered that Edward enjoyed it when I simply blathered on about anything and everything that came to mind. Doing this is no skill of mine, but it didn't seem to matter to Edward. I would talk about my kids or upcoming travel plans. I'd talk about work, about the weather, about Chicago's sports teams. ...
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By Daniel Whyte IIIThe Bible says in Revelation 14:13: “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” The featured quote for this episode is from H.P. Lovecraft. He said, "That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange eons even death may die." Our topic for today is titled "The Spirituality of Dying, Part 1" from the book, "The Art of Dying: Living Fully into the Life to Come" by Rob Moll. Because of his Alzheimer's, my hospice patient, Edward, and I were never able to communicate well. I would get off the elevator in the convalescence center, look around the tables where the elderly and ill residents occupied themselves with simple games, slept or watched the activities outside. Each week for a year I scanned the tables and looked for Edward, leaned over in his wheelchair asleep. I usually woke him up, knowing I was one of his only visitors and that he'd be glad to have someone to talk to. I'd ask Edward questions, and he would mumble answers. Sometimes he would talk very intelligibly, and I understood every word. But even then his mind was confused. I understood his words, but they made no sense. Even on good days I could never play much of a role in the conversation. I often simply nodded agreement with him and asked Edward to tell me more. Though we could never carry on a meaningful conversation, I continued to visit, and over the course of a few months I thought Edward began to appreciate my presence. There was never anything particularly special about our relationship, but he would smile as I arrived and tell me it was good to see me and to have a good day when I left. I discovered that Edward enjoyed it when I simply blathered on about anything and everything that came to mind. Doing this is no skill of mine, but it didn't seem to matter to Edward. I would talk about my kids or upcoming travel plans. I'd talk about work, about the weather, about Chicago's sports teams. ...