OCTOBER 6
When she came through the door of the children’s room she
could feel his presence as strongly throughout the room as
if she had opened a furnace door; the presence of his
strength, of virility, of helplessness, and of pure calm.
—JAMES AGEEPeople have described in many ways this sense of a trans-
formed presence at the time of or soon after death. For some
it is just that—a sense of presence. Others report a conversa-
tion in which the one who has died asks reassurance that
it’s all right to go. Still others tell of observing on the face of
the dying person, and perhaps in some final utterances, what
appears to be a reunion with loved ones who have gone
before.
What are we to make of these experiences? Surely they
have profound and personal meanings to those present. But
even for those of us who only hear about them, they are at
the very least a hint that life moves on from death, and they
offer hope that we shall be with our loved ones again.
Before the mystery of death, let us stand with open hearts and
minds.