And while eventually these bodies will give out, our spirits will not. This past week The Rev. Dr. Mark Miller was in St. Paul speaking about the spiritual and ethical issues in palliative care. One thing that he said that had a lot of people nodding their heads in agreement was the mysterious way in which people die. Father Miller said that people are more connected to their living and dying than we realize.
Death presents a great opportunity to growth.
Good palliative care offers an opportunity for people to really, truly, live while they are dying. Sometimes coma patients may not let go until a family issue is resolved. And often, family members have to tell the dying patient that it's okay to die. Many people who have been around death often experience mystical, spiritual moments when the person dies. I was called to the hospital because a woman was dying.