I posed the question on Facebook recently, 'what would you do if you were given one hour to live?' The answers were not frivolous by a long shot. I asked this question for a reason. It's important for us to face our mortality before it happens. When you prepare, when you are really ready for your demise, death does not have the same sting.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? [1 Corinthians 15:55]
When we know that death is coming, we can severely shorten our "unfinished business" list. This is important. Unfinished business is the number one reason human souls refuse to leave our world for the next.
My grandmother, Macy, had exactly one year to make sure she left this world with as little baggage as possible. She was prepared for her mortality, and for her transition into spirit world, as much as humanly possible. I'm not sure that we can ever be finished with everything. Most of the people who responded said that they would hug their children and tell a lot of people that they were loved. Some people want to make the last hour count by getting in some last-minute revenge. Well you have nothing to lose. You are about to die, so why not go out with a bang?
I don't often answer these introspective questions but this one hits home. My aunt Juanita told me, on her deathbed, how important I was to her and that brief moment made a mark on my soul. I suppose if I had but one hour to live, I would want to make that hour count. I'm not so different from most people, in that I would tell everyone I love them. Although I do that on a regular basis, so most would already know it. I don't feel the need to "get right with God." I'm not ashamed of my life. I never hurt people, robbed or pillaged. I spent most of my adult life in service to my community. So, not a lot of apologies to make.
Having worked in home hospice, I watched many people take their exit. Many were not able to leave with grace and dignity. At the last moment some of them were filled with fear and uncertainty. No matter how comforting my words, or how tight I held their hand, they still weren't ready to let go. At the last, they were asking 'Will I go to hell?' I can't answer some questions, because my reality and my spiritual path are different from yours. But my words of comfort have always been the same. I don't believe that "God" created you to send you to "hell." I don't believe that you have done something in your life that is so horrible that you should be separated from your loved one's for "eternity." I believe that you will see your people again, and your next journey will be amazing and wondrous.
I think I might like to sit in a nice restaurant and order a very decadent desert and a cup of coffee. One last cup of coffee. I might raise my cup to toast life and love and liberty. I guess to some that might not be an exciting way to exit this life, but I am a man of simple needs and desires. If maybe the restaurant would play my favorite song whilst I binge on something chocolate, that might make my last hour on earth, perfect.
Copyright©2013 Michael Einspanjer
"All Rights Reserved."
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