When I was younger my brother could see "angels." I don't know if that is actually what they were, but he saw people who weren't there. When I was 6 and he was 4, we were in the car with my mom and we drove by a crash. He asked "what is that man doing over there" but no one was there. Another time we were driving down maple ave and he asked if we saw the angel. When we said we didn't, he pointed and said "it's right there!" These events have also shaped what I believe in. I definitely believe that something happens to our souls after we die.
When I was 6, my great grandmother passed away. When my mom was trying to explain it to me, she told me she went to heaven. I asked my mom if we could take a plane to see her. This was the first time anyone I knew had died so it was hard for me to grasp what was really going on. I always talked to my mom about seeing her again and knowing that she was watching over me. I think this was were my beliefs formed. Last summer with the death of my grandfather, these beliefs strengthened. He was diagnosed with cancer when I was 11 and had a long and painful battle. Knowing he is in a better place makes his death easier because I know he is no longer in pain.
Unfortunately know one knows exactly what happens to our souls when we die. Death is inevitable and we all will leave the earth at some point. I believe our soul continues to live past this and will continue to watch over our loved ones.
Wow. Your post was very powerful. I think that the death of someone you are close to does strengthen what we believe in. I understand how hard it is to have someone you love battle with cancer. My aunt was just diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer and has a 20% chance of survival. Going through tough life events is hard, but I think that you having faith in God will really help you get through the good times and bad. I mentioned this in another comment I wrote,but don't let the fear of the unknown keep you from living your life. I think everyone is scared of the unknown, you just can't let it control your life. Great blog post.
ReplyDeleteI think your post conveyed the ideas that a lot of us have. The reason why death can be so scary is because we don't know what will happen to us. I do agree that believing in an afterlife helps ease the fear of death. However, you can't force yourself to believe. What would you say to those who want to believe but just can't? With all the technological advances, I would think we would have more clues as to where we go. What do you think life in the afterlife looks like? I think this was a great post, and I liked how you put personal stories in your post to link to your ideas about after death.
ReplyDeleteI also share that fear of dying that you do and we actually have a pretty close reason for it, I to fear the unknown but I also am scared of the known. I know that when i die my body will be in a casket and that is actually something that I am terrified of. I think it is interesting that you turn to heaven and god as comfort and to make living this life knowing death will come, more easy on your mind and to help supress the fear that you have. This blog post really was well written and I understood completely what you were saying. This was great!
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