End of Life

In the beginning:

You have a loved one who gets a diagnosis of despairing news.

The start of what love really means:

Your'e loved one gets down and sick from this horrible disease running through their body.

Decisions:

First off all their is no decision when it comes to taking care of a loved one. You just do it!

Taking the loved one in:

You prepare to bring this loved one in and see over them, and make them as comfortable as possible.

Going through the emotions:

Emotions are a funny thing. I have learned that one can go through this and still come out with a humble and giving heart.

The tough times:

The toughest part of taking care of a loved one is just that, you love them. It's hard to watch as a loved one goes though the end of their life. Then you realize that your life is coming to an end with that person.

Their passing:

This stage is the worst one. You argue within yourself asking if this is real. Unless you have been through this I suggest that one prepare for this. Because if you can and your heart is in the right place you will not want that loved one to pass with strangers. In some cases you can't do that due to the severity of their illness.

Preparing for the inevitable:

Going to the funeral home and making arrangements. Then the burial. This life event is still traumatic for the care givers of this loved one.

Moral of the story:

Be mindful that these care givers are exhausted, traumatized and had just watched someone they loved pass away. Just know that they are not fully back to reality yet. Always know that your'e loved one was in good hands and was made comfortable.

I am writing this due to the fact that in the past six years my sister and I have seen three great men in our life take their last breath and everyone else was on the sidelines. But after the person passed they were their with their hands out for whatever they could get.

My sister and I were mentally and physically exhausted not to mention we had just watched someone we loved leave this earth to never be seen or heard of again.I can't stress enough for others to realize what this done to us.

All in all we had six deaths in a four year period and we took all of those loved ones in. I could not imagine being left alone to die with strangers. It is a very tormenting event to watch them die, but it would be worse if we done nothing at all.

We have since learned that this experience has made a bond between us that cannot be broken. It's funny how love and death can bring a person to the realization that maybe we are meant to send our loved ones into the unknown with a certain hope that they will remember what they were, and still are worth to the ones left behind.

But, are we really left behind? There is so much thought process in the afterlife that we have no idea what there really is after we pass on from this world. All I know is that we will never know what happens until it happens. Life is not an open book that gives us a certain instruction as to where and when things happen.

I do know this, no one can know for sure of anything until they pass from this place we call home that has been a haven for us to explore, investigate things and to live like there is no tomorrow.