A LOOK BACK, A LOOK AHEAD
It has been a week since my father began his gradual slide into unconsciousness, after a short but painful illness....a condition of slumber in the end, that to us, was both merciful and providential. It was exactly how my mother Merle had slipped away, in May 2008, and the kind of peaceful exit Ed had found comforting during that time of loss......and he said numerous times since that he would be pleased to pass from this mortal coil so gently without pain. In those final hours his wish had come true, and he was pain-free and everso subtly set free of suffering with a most soothing music playing in his room. Sherry, our nurse-friend, had seen to this for Ed, and it was a poetic ending, a successful journey’s conclusion, to a man’s life that had endured so many obstacles and challenges....... to follow with that determined footfall, the path from birth to his final reward.
Ed was not a religious man but he had a sincere faith that there was more to life than this mortal conduit, this blood and flesh vehicle that serves us on earth. It was once said by my mother that the only time my father ever called out for "Christ’s sake," was when he fell down the apartment stairs. It was a family joke so I can’t attest to its accuracy. Yet I never felt Ed was resolved of death’s finality, and I’m reasonably sure he was intending to re-connect with his partner in the afterlife......and I knew he’d let us know of his safe passage. As our family generally believes the spirit does "Cross Over," and certainly in Ed’s case, we had many signs after his death, that he was well on his way, we don’t share the fears of "nothingness" or "gone forever"......because we have opened ourselves to the full possibilities of life after death. I have validated those who have crossed for years, and I’ve never once been surprised by coincidence and circumstance that appears to have been of unearthly initiative. It may surprise some readers to learn about these heaven-sent messages, signs and welcome intrusions......but for us, they are nothing new or for that matter exceptional.
Ed had an unyielding, strong spirit, and a stubbornness to soldier on. As he was a beacon of optimism during his life, it’s impossible for me to believe hid didn’t exit with the same intensity he had on earth. While a few might argue it is only pathetic denial, or a harmful fiction, I have never lost faith in the dynamic, the fascinating dimensions of life and death, or on the other hand, denied the mourning process its necessary course. I would suggest to my helpful critics, that they might be open-minded enough themselves, to validate those loved ones who have passed......and be receptive to the messages, signs and feeling of comfort they might receive, in their own faith the spirit carries on.
Ed will always be an inspiration to me because he sought out truths, preferring a critical approach, demanding second opinions, and truly never left a stone unturned. He followed the carpenter’s credo.....measure twice, cut once. As for his health, it was the glaring contradiction due to a life-long fear of hospitals.
When there was something he didn’t know, that he felt disadvantaged by, he made every effort to learn and understand the issue. He wasn’t a scholar but he could talk about a huge range of issues, from politics to the economy, cooking (his favorite subject), to municipal finances. Again, we wish he had addressed his health issues with the same intensity. He would never have denied there was a good possibility death wasn’t all that final. He needed proof. Maybe he got it, and so did we!
We think he most definitely passed this life with a determination to reach the proverbial light. Shortly, on my newly prepared web-site (Ghosts of Muskoka), I will post a short piece that will detail, in actuality, with nary a shred of exaggeration, the way we believe Ed let us know he was contented with his fate, and that we should cease to mourn, as he was on his way to meet his wife, friends and family awaiting on the other side. To some it might read as a preamble to the "Twilight’s Zone" but in fact it was, by itself, a wonderful, comforting communication we will never forget.