Escorted In and Out

I think we all have seen stories about people facing the end of life who wait for a special event: a birthday, a visit, a baby's birth, Christmas.

I have seen those stories all my life and assumed that the dying person wanted to be present. I still think my assumption is valid but I saw a snippet of video this week which added complexity I had never thought of.

A priest who works as a hospital chaplain described his visit to a woman who was expected to die within a day. He spoke with the family, prayed and administered last rites expecting that would be the end of the interaction.

The following week he was surprised to see the woman still on the list for visiting. He questioned whether he had the correct list. He did and the doctor assured him the woman had less than a day left.

On the third week the woman was still there, still unconscious. The family was no longer quite so attentive, the TV was on and they looked tired.

The priest asked the nurse what she thought was happening with this woman and the nurse said "Oh, she's not going anywhere, a new grandbaby is due any day now and she won't be going anywhere until baby arrives"

True to the nurse's prediction, the babe arrived, unconscious granny was informed that the baby was here and safe and the lady soon passed away.

The priest commented that we are all escorted in and out of this life, he also commented that a good number of us will reach heaven on the prayers of our grandmothers.

End of Life will be a mystery until we experience it but I have to agree with the priest: the motivator for the granny in the story, who was unconscious the whole time and never met the baby must have been much more powerful than curiosity and more powerful than a snuggle with a newborn.

What do you think kept her going? and who would you like to escort you out of life?