11.26.07
A Man Who Died
Not long ago, a man I knew died. He had cancer for the last 2 and a half years. I was privileged to work with him in those last two years of his life. At first we were utilizing EFT and the Yuen Method. In time, we became friends and I left the therapeutic realm to others.
At his memorial service I was asked to play the mandolin. I was happy too. This man had attended one of my For the Love of Zeppelin concerts, and although he said he appreciated the musicianship that went into our performance, our volume and 70’s rock style were not his thing. He also came to a show at the Brew Pub where I played mandolin with the irish group. That was much more his style. So I was happy to play two songs at his service.
When we first began working together I had no doubt it was possible for him to overcome this and live the life he intended, because if he did live his intention was to drastically rearrange his priorities. My faith in his chances of survival did not falter, until the last two times I saw him.
Much of our interaction in those last few visits revolved around his coming to terms with death, and probing of the meaning of life and spirituality.
Make peace with death now. Do not wait. Find the meaning of life now. Do not wait. Though these may seem far off and impossible to understand, death comes quickly, and through practice and commitment, understanding is available. Also, do not wait to arrange your priorities by the standards you intend. It is this very thing that might dissolve the boundry between living and dying. This is what I’ve learned from the man I knew, that is no more.
At some point in eternity the light must come on, and now is the best time for it.
