The other, and more practical aspect of
dying laughing, is to remember the things you or others have done and tell stories about what you remember. Let your de- parted loved ones bring a smile to your face and life. Animals have no trouble doing this but we, the incomplete species, need to learn to let the child out and to not be normal. Be a character and live my WWLD when in doubt. What Would Lassie Do? Or if you want to, ask yourself what your de- parted beloved pet would want you to do... and do it. Also remember we have a great deal
to say about when we die. So do not feel guilty if your beloved dies when you are not present. I have seen this with our pets (who wait for family members to leave), and with my parents and patients. My father and some of our animals had no problem shar- ing their last minutes sharing stories while I knew my mother and some of our animals would not die when their loved ones were in the room with them. So share your love but also give them time to be with others and leave the room if you think they will feel better with you not experiencing their death.
Since consciousness is not local there
is still a part of all our departed loved ones that is still here for us to experience and share with. I could tell endless stories about the experiences of loved ones who have lost family members or animals and had them return spiritually or symbolically after their death. My mother’s name was Rose. After she died, we kept finding roses and pennies everywhere. Finding pennies is my way of knowing I am on the right path
and my mom’s great grandchildren started spontaneously calling them pennies from heaven. This consciousness will eventu- ally become a part of the consciousness of those who come after us, so remember life is a school and the more you learn the more you can pass on to future generations. When our beloved Smudge Bunny
died I played a tape someone had given me as I drove to pick up her body. Dear Bar- bra Streisand sang to me…“They say there’s a universal plan for every woman, for ev- ery man; But in our darkest hour it’s hard to understand why did the right road take the wrong turn? Why did our heart break and why did we get burned? Just like the seasons there are reasons for the path we take. There are no mistakes; just lessons to be learned.” I will stop now with this thought for
you to reflect upon. If death were the worst outcome, would Abraham, Jesus and Noah have done what they did by following their Lord’s desires? Why didn’t Abraham bar- gain with God over His request for his son to be sacrificed or Jesus, who could walk on water, hop off the cross? And how come Noah didn’t argue for more people and animals to be saved? Maybe they knew that the problem is living and death is not the worst outcome but a chance to go home and be perfect again. Or as my quadriple- gic father-in-law called it, “You just fall up.” And when he was tired of his body he did just that and spent no time dying. He just refused his vitamins and dinner and fell up that evening. Death is the greatest teacher there is about life; so live and learn.
For many, Dr. Bernard Siegel—or Ber-
nie, as he prefers to be called—needs no introduction. He has touched many lives all over the Planet. In 1978, he reached a national and then international audience when he began talking about patient em- powerment and the choice to live fully and die in peace. As a physician who has cared for and counseled innumerable people whose mortality has been threatened by illness, Bernie embraces a philosophy of living and dying that stands at the forefront of the medical ethics and spiritual issues our Society grapples with today. In May 2011, Bernie was honored by the Watkins Review of London, England, as one of the Top 20 Spiritually Influential Living People on the Planet. He continues to break new ground in the field of healing, supporting changes in medical education to “human- ize” medical practice. Read Bernie’s regu- lar blog posts on his website where you will also find his books, articles, and CDs:
http://www.berniesiegelmd.com.
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