Posted on 03/08/2025 4:15:41 AM PST by MtnClimber
I doubt that anyone forgets the moment when a doctor tells them that they are never going to recover from the illness that brought them in and led to all those diagnostic tests. It’s terminal and it’s only a matter of time before you die. Add in the words “There’s no known cure, and we don’t even know what causes it” and the verdict seems absolute: you’re without hope.
Yet my experience over the five and a half years since these words were spoken to me has not felt tragic; to the contrary, I have discovered a surprising upside to the de facto death sentence.
I suppose that it is a blessing that we go through life not knowing when or how we are going to die. One of the first steps toward exiting childhood and becoming an adult is the realization that you, too, are going to die. But, at least for me, that inevitability was always suppressed in my conscious mind, and I operated as if death were not only uncertain as to date and manner, but somehow so unthinkable that it might not even happen. Or at least so far off that there’s no point in thinking about it.
That abruptly changed with the diagnosis, of course. But after the initial shock wore off a day or two later, I began to be astounded at the ways my life changed for the better.
When I got the terminal diagnosis, I was told that the average interval between diagnosis and death was two and a half years, and counseled that there was a lot of variation from the average. But roughly 36 months was a very concrete remaining lifespan to contemplate, and suddenly every single day became more precious. When we forget the incredible gift that life is
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
No one is as free as he who has nothing left to lose.
Thomas Lifson is lucky when it comes to the matter of life ending. Over here, I lost my wife last January. She passed away just a few days after suffering three strokes. Thus, we never got to talk much about the end coming for us. We were married for 39 years, and now I am alone.
I am sorry to hear about your wife.
It’s only temporary. Remember death is not an ending, it is merely a parting.
One thing about facing your death, is that you have time to get your mind and your soul in order. Since my second stroke, I have been steadily ridding myself of the silly things I have that won’t be useful to my next of kin and getting closer to God.
Kudos to you!
So sorry for your loss! I lost my wife after 55 years. I've been there. It takes away your soul and being. And the sad part is we lived our lives and never realized how much we had become one.
This story brings up so many emotions. I was also given a life-threatening diagnosis ten years before. While it hits you like crashing into a brick wall, after the dust settles, it is quite liberating. I won't try to explain because we all react differently, and until you experience both of these life-altering events, most can not comprehend them.
The one huge and significant answer is....
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
"I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
You see. We were a spirit before we were delivered from our mother's womb, and we're only here for a short while until we again become a spirit and are reunited with our loved ones again for eternity.
How do I know? My God and my bible tell me so -- and so does my heart.
Life is a death sentence.
Believing that death is the end of existence is like believing that the horizon is the end of the ocean.
‘We never realized how much we had become one.” Yes. Say the things you are thinking and ask questions of things your mate says because tomorrow is never guaranteed. I know your pain.
Always enjoyed Mr. Lifson’s articles.
I am very sorry for your loss.
My wife’s health is not good. I fear I may end up in the same situation.
Mac is good too.
You never know. Every day is a blessing. Make every day count to you.
What is Lifson’s illness?
I don't know.
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