Coming to terms with death
 

After I lost my dad, several friends and then my brother within the span of two years, I was quite a mess.

It forced me to come to seek out answers about what I think happens when you die. I did alot of research and I'm pretty sure I know now what happens.


As a volunteer in a nursing home, I had the pleasure of helping others who were at the end of their lives, and help them come to terms with their own death.

While I don't want to necessarily go into my beliefs here on this forum, I do find them comforting and hopefully I can comfort others when they need some help.


I also think that religion and/or spirituality is a good way to help a person get through these difficult losses we all sustain at one time or another.

Yes I agree with you being comfortable in what you think happens when someone passes on is a lot of comfort to you when someone passes away.

I think that no matter what religious path you follow, or belief system you have, it can be a great help in dealing with the loss of loved ones.

When I was young, and well into adulthood, I was convinced that I had the religious "truth." As I grew older, my faith in a higher power also grew by leaps and bounds, but my adherence to any particular religous teaching or tradition all but vanished. I like it this way - I can take comfort in my faith and support you in yours without sweating the small stuff. This growing and evolving faith has brought me through many losses and challenges. Peace to all - nancy

Nancy - this is such a sensible approach to religion - I wish more people thought this way! the world might be a more peaceful place. :(

Best,
Sarah Jane

When my ex-husbands grand father died, we had a wonderful surprise.

With us both being Wiccan, family events centered around churches were always a source of friction, but to our amazement at the funeral home, the service was performed by Freemasons. No one was aware that his grandfather was a ritual magician.

It was a great weight lifted from my ex's shoulders.

When I found out that my son had something that just wasn't right with him, I questioned my beliefs.. I kept thinking, how could God do this to me? Now I think that God blessed me rather than punished.. When my grandmother died, I found comfort in my beliefs and know that it helped me through a very trying time.

It's sometimes surprising what we discover about people after they pass away. We learned just how extensively our friend traveled and what other languages she could speak after her funeral.

And we heard nice stories about how much she enjoyed music at dances in her younger days. We met her in her mid 70s and she was very open to current things, but it was nice to hear her described as she was in the earlier time of her life, too.

Sometimes it seems like the services are more for the living than the dead. I prefer to go to the ones that focus on the person who passed, rather than worry what people might think about it. If they liked the person for how they were, or want to remember them as they were, they shouldn't mind.

strength in trial
 

I agree that sometimes what seems like a punishment or God turning His back on us turns out to be a blessing. I sometimes questioned why the Lord would allow my grandmother to suffer through her dementia, forgetting everything and living confused and lost. But I see now the impact that caring for her through that time made on my mother and the rest of our family, and I know that trial was not to test my grandmother, but to strengthen us.