More comforting words....

A few weeks ago I posted Comforting Words and shared the letter Bill wrote to me just before he died.  The feedback/comments I received were wonderful and heartwarming....thank you!  A few days ago, my mom sent the following, to be added to my "wonderful collection of quotes".  I don't think she anticipated how much comfort it would bring me.

As you might imagine, with ALS a constant presence, Bill and I talked a lot about death and the process of dying.  Not in a morbid or fatalistic way, but more from a perspective of curiosity and observation.  We became avid students and both agreed that whether you believe in creation or evolution, the body is quite an amazing vehicle!  My mom attended the memorial services of a friend of ours who died recently, not from ALS (thank goodness!), but rather in the way I hope to go...natural causes.  Hilarie was well into her 90's and had lived a very full and productive life. She was sassy and good natured, right to the end, so I find this quote is especially fitting.   

In coming to the realization that his life was coming to an end, Edward Madison Cameron shared these words with his aging body:


“When you can go no further, I shall leave you and be free… When we separate I shall continue to exist. A Power greater than you and I started us on our journey. Your journey is approaching its end and you are aware of it. My journey has merely begun and I know it because I have never felt more alive. Our separation is, therefore, not one of sadness, but of joy. You are weary and want to stop. I am longing to alight from this slowing vehicle and go on without you.”

To my dad, Bill, Hilarie, and the many friends and family members who are no longer with me physically, I toast your spirit and offer a prayer of gratitude for the many gifts of love and life you've left behind.