Life And Death

Reading Gordon Smith's book, Through My Eyes, recently made me reflect on life and death...

Is life the opposite of death? The way we talk about the two definitely makes it sound as though it is, but I would disagree. The opposite of death is birth.

Just as birth is not a state, neither is death. Life is continuous and birth and death are simply two events that mark a change from one state of life to another: non-physical to physical in the case of birth and vice versa for death.

I’ve had the privilege to be present as two people I love, my grandfather and uncle, passed into the spiritual world. That may sound like a strange thing to say about something that is usually perceived as a very sad occasion. And it was sad. But at the same time, it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever experienced. There’s a line in one of Dave Matthews’ songs (Loving Wings) that talks about how the “angels have all gathered round”, and this to me perfectly describes the atmosphere in the hospital rooms as transition from the physical world to the non-physical was taking place. Our family was not alone at either of these times and neither was the person making the transition. The love surrounding all of us was tangible and beautiful beyond words. Far from life being absent at a time of death, it was more present than ever.