Death and Dying

We all experience death. Sometimes too soon. What is it? Just ceasing to exist? Or is it more than that?

I can remember I was around 8 when I first experienced death. My grandmother, who I didn’t even know was sick, passed on. Bits and pieces of the conversation passed through the eaves of the house. Cancer had spread beyond redemption. I think that was the first time I cursed God. Fast forward two years, and I started to realize exactly what was going on in the world. In fourth grade, the towers fell on live television. I was in Language Arts. I couldn’t understand why my teacher had tears streaming down her face. I remember being afraid. Then, it was chaos for a while as rumors spread about bombing schools. Fast forward another two years, and the father of a close friend, showed me exactly what was wrong with the world. That was the death of my innocence. That was when I withdrew and fell into escapism. In that death, I found meaning in the words of authors like VC Andrews or Stephen King. Dean Kootnz too. I remember my favorite was Darkest Rivers of the Heart.

Death is an interesting thing. Most of us fear it. Some of us embrace it. But for me, what I found is that in death, there is always new life.