Looking Into the Eyes of God While Sitting in a Bookstore

We search so hard for answers to the questions of eternity, and yet, when it comes time to talk about it, we shut down. Yesterday I spent a wonderful two hours in the company of friends and family at a bookstore, signing books. As always happens, people stepped up to share their stories of death, near death and the pain of losing a loved one.

One beautiful woman knelt down beside me at the table and told me in a quiet voice about her father's recent illness. He recently came near to death and when he was coming out of anesthesia, he said something that troubled her. Basically, he said he was "broke down" and mentioned leaving. It wasn't clear to her what he meant, whether he was ready and wanted to go or whether he didn't want her to be there. Either idea brought tears to her eyes. We chatted a moment about some possibilities, but in the end I suggested she just ask him. I hope she did. Hospice workers have told me that bringing up the topic and giving people a chance to talk about their concerns can be a huge relief to all concerned.
I'm told that leaving a loved one can be the hardest part of dying. I take comfort in knowing that we're parting for a blink of an eye when you look at it in terms of eternity.
https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Death-Message-Comfort-Hope/dp/0692745610/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1474221661&sr=8-2&keywords=gift+of+death