Today, I walked outside to my now dying sunflowers and was met with a flock of escaping birds who were perched on the branches of the drooping heads, gathering up every last bit of life these flowers had to offer.
No longer were the petals bright and inviting, no longer did the bees find sweet nectar from their flowers, and yet, their lives still have meaning.
My thoughts went to Brittany Maynard. With thousands of supporters applauding her decision, she is choosing death on November 1, rather than a life of neurological decline and eventual death hastened by her terminal brain cancer.
My mom chose death too. She was 31 and I was 12. And my heart was shattered.
To Brittany, and all who wish to end their suffering, I beg you to choose LIFE. Choose life until your very last breath – as God wills it.
Choosing death robs the world of your warmth and passion. Choosing death robs those closest to you – and strangers who never knew you – of the light which emanates from your soul. Eternal lessons of compassion and selflessness that can be learned in no other way than by caring for the dying are thwarted unless you choose life! Even when you can no longer talk or walk or see, your indomitable spirit, your courage, your LIVING makes an imprint on the souls of those who tenderly care for your body in your final hours.
And choosing death robs you of the sweet experiences with the divine that many dying hospice patients describe in their final days on this earth. It robs you of one more sunrise. It robs you of one more tear. It robs you of that last lesson you were meant to learn while you take your last breath. So LIVE! As you have done until now, squeeze out every last ounce of living until God calls you home.
Wendy this is so beautiful! Thank you for posting this!