Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Every Life Story has an Ending

  Tuesday Morning there will be a gathering of mourners on the East Side of Allentown. They will be paying final respects to a Father and a friend. He was also a de facto Godparent to my wife. Last Spring my wife and I were in the room when the gentleman had the doctors disconnect life support after his wife of sixty years had suffered a brain aneurysm. We were privileged to see him take that last earthly act of unconditional love. If you truly love someone, you set them free, and he did that. It has been less than a year, and they are reunited.
  Last week the man's son made the agonizing decision to stop treatment on his father. The breathing tube was removed, and later that day he passed peacefully in his sleep.

   The son agonized over his decision, and I went to the Hospital the night before and talked to him for a few minutes, for which he was grateful. It is hard to let go. we beat ourselves up and think of all the things we should have done, and in many cases we focus on everything we did wrong. I felt compelled to remind the son of everything he did right.  That's all I have to say tonight.

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