Last night a young woman died from a congenital condition that meant she had the intellect of a 4 or 5 year old child. I noticed, along with the certain sadness of loss, there was a sense of jubilation as well. One of her relatives said, "We have to rejoice, because after she saw heaven, staying here was almost unbearable." He explained that Jesus came to see her often in her last days. Several times he took her to heaven to see the preparations for her homecoming party. She saw a cake, decorations and lots and lots of people anticipating her arrival. She only spoke once all day. About an hour before she died, very clearly and forcefully, she said, "I WANT TO GO HOME!" It made me imagine that heaven is quite busy preparing a festival to welcome the martyrs of our time. And it also reminded me of what Teresa of Avilla said: "When we get to heaven, this life will seem like one night in a bad inn."
I heard once a saying that said that the worst day of our life is the day we are born and leave heaven and the best day of our life is the day we die and go home to God! Something to really think about.
Really Kathy you should write a lot of these things down in book from. Wonderful. I asked a sister in the hospice one time if they witnessed remarkable things occurring in the death process she said, 'They happen so often we don't even comment on them anymore!' When one of my brothers died I had a thought of getting to heaven and entering a big bar were everyone would welcome me with a big party. I told my brothers this and it cheered them up too. I like to think of heaven being what ever we want it to be. Of course the centre being loved and being loving God I have a list of things I would like to do up there, including visiting other planets, learning a musical instrument and meeting a lot of the saints I have read about and got friendly with down here.
The night my daughter passed away it was a stormy night in early May. She passed a little after 9pm. After it had calmed a bit with all family and friends over, I went outside to finally let it all sink in around 10pm. As soon as I walked outside the stormy sky above parted open and the moonlight shown right down on me. It was so wonderful. People who work in Hospice are angels among us I truly believe. The hospice workers were there for me any and every day that I needed them for the 17 months that she was here with us. They did everything for us and were very much a part of our family and her life. I will be forever grateful for their love, compassion, tenderness and kindness. They all came to her funeral too which was so touching.
Wow, Kathy. So many of the stories you share with us are really powerful. Like Padraig, I wish you would write these down in book form. It would be a best seller.
Actually, I did write them in book form twenty years ago, and it's been in print ever since. http://www.amazon.com/Midwife-Souls-Spiritual-Care-Dying/dp/0819848565/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391031172&sr=1-1&keywords=midwife for souls The book has been translated and published in Poland, Korea, the Phillipines and Spain, and (another proof that the Holy Spirit can use anybody), it has an imprimatur. I had a chance to update the book and add new stories in 2007. But of course, there are always new ones. (By the way, writing a book is the slowest "get rich quick" scheme in the world! Still, having a published author as a daughter makes my mother very happy, and knowing that words I wrote for Jesus are flitting about the world gives me great joy.) But here's the thing - God built me to do this job. You would have to nail my feet to the floor to make me sit behind a desk all day! I believe that we each have a vocation, or several, that we were built to do. Every one of us has the opportunity to serve God in a magnificent way. The more hidden, I would guess, the more glory is given to God. It's an occupational hazard among hospice workers to believe the glowing praise of the public, and to wear the work as a mantle of goodness, instead of actually being "good". Looking back, I think I did more for His kingdom during a period of about 5 years of extreme suffering and humiliation. People came up to me constantly and said, "You are joyful and peaceful, and your life is a train wreck. What is your secret?" If so many asked, how many more saw and wondered the same thing? It was a horrible time, but I've never felt so protected and carried in the palm of God's hand. And I was forced to evangelize just by answering the question! Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,f but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. 1 Peter: 15-16
Thanks for the link, Kathy! I just bought your book. Not only are your stories insightful and uplifting, but you have a good way with words. I look forward to reading your book.
I have a little theory that the more a soul suffers (and accepts suffering) then the closer to God they get. As the saying goes , 'Great Crosses mean great Crowns'. Of course suffering in itself does not necessarily lead to grace. Look at Heinrich Himmler the head of the SS he had rectal cancer and must have been in agony for most of his office, but it never seemed to do him any good. Heinric of course was a nominal, 'Catholic' as was Hitler and much of the Nazi elite, something that always gives me pause for thought I was thinking about suffering when I was walking around Auswich a couple of years back. There must have been some very great saints in there the agony they went through...
Thanks Kathy for what us really a ministry. I remember 3 years ago tonight/tomorrow as my mother was dying we had a wonderful hospice nurse with us. My mom wanted to pass in our home and it was very holy and beautiful. She had several priests visit during the few days preceding and was Anointed. We spent the last few days praying the Rosary, Divine Mercy, and many other Litanies. The last day she was non-communicative and semi-comatose and then a few minutes before she passed, she became completely lucid and looked at all of us gathered around and smiled and then she looked above us to a corner where we have a closet and three times clearly said, "love you, love you, love you" and then closed her eyes and left us. Next thing you see the lights in the closest go off and on several times. She always like to joke and have the last word, so maybe her way of saying goodbye. All we know is that she clearly so someone she absolutely loved and left in peace. All mystically wonderful and holy.
