Friday, November 24, 2017

Near-Death Experiences - True or Not?

                                                            

My friend, June, had a Near-Death Experience. She'd always been a giving, caring, calm person but after her NDE, she was even more so - happier, more peaceful. When she told you about what happened, you could not doubt her absolute sincerity in what she saw and felt.

Here is what June said happened to her:  She was in the hospital after having a heart attack when suddenly all the alerts began going off in her room. She had gone into cardiac arrest. Nurses and doctors began rushing to her bedside. Her spirit left her body and hovered around the ceiling. She could see the staff working on her; she could hear them urging her to come back. She was curious but not at all concerned in what was happening to the body on the bed.

Then she found herself in a tunnel. It was sort of misty but she could see a light at the end. She knew she wanted to get to that light. When she emerged into it, she found herself in a place of total serenity.

"Vic," she told me, "no human being knows what complete peace of mind feels like. Life may be going pretty good but you are always stressed about something - your kids, your finances, your health, even small things like the car needing new tires or going to the dentist. There's none of that there. It is, simply, joy."

Suddenly, she was back in her body with the doctor pounding on her chest. She was in pain.

"No," she told him, "let me go. I want to go back."

"You have to stay. Your children have been notified and are on their way to see you. You told me your daughter is pregnant for your first grandchild and how much you are looking forward to knowing this baby. If you go now, you won't meet it."

She was able to send her mind back for just a short time. She could "feel" the baby in the mist. She knew it was a boy and that they would pass one another if she went on. She was then back in her body. She lived seven more years.

The two elements that most affected her were 1) the peace of mind, of course and 2) the completely different sense of time there, which is nothing like our own. A long time here is a short time there.

She asked me to give her eulogy when she died. She wanted to make sure her family didn't grieve for her. She likened it to being on a fabulous cruise ship to somewhere she'd always dreamed of visiting.

"Tell them to say "bon voyage, not goodbye and tell them they will be joining me on that trip in just a little while."

I did a lot of research n Near-Death Experiences after June told me about here. It is amazing how similar the accounts are. There is almost always a tunnel and a light of peace. I found that people tend to see who they most long to see to help them transition to this new realm. Christians see Jesus; Muslims see Allah. Some are met by their parents or a spouse or children they lost or even animals.

Many doctors and/or scientists think Near-Death Experience are simply a matter of synapses flaring or a body releasing pheromones or a similar event. I don't suppose it can be proven or disproven either way but I know people like June, who've been there, believe it from the bottom of their hearts.













Friday, November 10, 2017

A Pause In My Journey

                                      

Update: I haven't written for a while and people have contacted me to ask how I'm doing. The answer is: I'm doing fine.

It was August of 2016 when the spot on my lung was found. I refused an MRI and went on about my business. In May of 2017, I went to the emergency room for shortness of breath and total exhaustion. That's when the diagnosis of lung cancer was confirmed - along with congestive heart failure.

I declined to undergo treatment so my doctor did what she could to help with medication. Furosemide, which removes excess fluid retention did away with the shortness of breath. Iron pills, for my anemia, improved my energy level immensely.

And that's where I am today. I rather feel as if I was traveling along on my cancer journey until my body saw a rest area and said, "let's just stop here for a while." Of course, I had no choice in the matter but that was fine with me.

So now, I'm parked on a picnic table, with a cup of coffee and a cigarette, watching autumn turn into winter. I'm grateful that I'm not working and I don't have to worry about scraping windshields or navigating bad roads.

I was outside a convenience store the other day, smoking a cigarette while I waited for Brenda. A rather tubby 50-ish man saw me smoking and came over to me, raising his shirt up to his neck. He had a long, fat, ugly scar running from his chest to his navel.

"Let me show you what smoking can do," he said.

I smiled and said - "too late."

He told me he'd been through hell with surgery, chemo, radiation, infusions, sickness.

"And still," he said, "the last doctor's appointment I had, they informed me I have about 3-6 months to live."

"Well, enjoy life while you can. That's what I'm doing."

"Huh," he scoffed, "what to enjoy when you know you're going to die?"

Our conversation ended there but I thought to myself. I'll get to see another NASCAR champion crowned even if the winner isn't my choice. I got to see Jamie and Claire find each other again on the Outlander. I've read many books I've enjoyed. I visited with one of my oldest friends in Indianapolis. LeAnn came and spent almost a week with me. My cousin, Max, is coming on the 14th. My other favorite cousin, Shirley calls me and we have long nostalgic conversations about The Family back in the day. My old stand-by friends, Brenda, Jan and Blythe, come several times a week. I got to see the Democrats win in Virginia and New Jersey in what I hope is a repudiation of Donald Trump.

Some day, my body will say, "time to continue on our journey" but until then, I'm happy sitting right her at this picnic table watching the world go by.