[Magdalen] Funeral Service at Saint Martin's, Houston.

[Jay Weigel]

I've worked with literally hundreds of dying patients during my career and
I am firmly of the belief that someone comes to guide you across at the
end, and that they often appear days or even weeks before the person dies.
It was not really a joke when one of us would ask another about a patient
whom we perceived as, or knew to be terminal, "Are they starring at the
corner yet?" because often that meant the patient was seeing something the
rest of us couldn't. Sometimes the person was able to tell us who they were
seeing or had seen. One of my favorite instances was a long-time friend
from church who lived in the same building as another friend from work.
She'd been in the hospital for some time, quite sick, and was slated to go
home the next day. Sue, my friend from work, went to see her in the
hospital to ask if there was anything she needed in her apartment, and in
the course of their conversation, the lady said to her, "I saw Sam last
night. He looked so young and handsome, and he asked me to come dancing
with him." Sam was her late husband, and Sue said it gave her the chills.
The lady died overnight, and I've often imagined her since, dancing off
into the clouds with her beloved Sam.

On Mon, Apr 23, 2018 at 2:39 AM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:

> My spouse and I are lucky in that both of us had parents who had a
> long,stable marriage. My father-in-law passed a way a number of years ago,
> and when my mother-in-law died, my wife drew comfort in the confidence that
> Vince and Helen are together again. I have the same feeling about my own
> parents.
>
> I remember many years ago, after my grandfather died, my mother commented
> that the only thing that really kept her mother going without her husband
> was the firm hope that she would see him again.
>
> I'm sure a lot of people believe that when we die, everything that was us
> is annihilated, but I am grateful that most of them do not attempt to
> ridicule my views on the matter or "set me straight.".
>
> There have been hundreds of incidents where someone nearing death reacted
> to the sight of a loved one, often their mother coming to help them in the
> transition. I'd say that's good evidence that families stay together on
> some level at least. Not that any of us can say what happens after we die,
> but the sheer volume of reports of this sort is encouraging for those who
> believe there is life after death and that we see our beloved ones again.
>
>
>
>
> James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> *“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
> except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
>
> On Sun, Apr 22, 2018 at 11:41 AM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Interesting, because I’ve more or less heard that all my life, in
> > Episcopal churches and others. The idea the the deceased will be reunited
> > with those who have gone before. Have said it myself...
> >
> > > On Apr 22, 2018, at 8:22 AM, ME Michaud <michaudme at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > I was struck by the rector’s mention of families re-united in heaven.
> > > Like Episcopalians are flirting with Mormonism it seemed.
> > > Never heard that before.
> > > Is it a regional thing?
> > > -M
> >
>