How to take a sudden trip so it won't upset you and others

Taking off unexpectedly

Carol Forsloff---I'd like to take a little time here and tell you about John Sullivan, whom many of you don't know but I think you would like. His story is a good one and likely can help many of you take an unexpected trip that might help when travel like it can be troublesome, as we find many things these days with world events and our personal situations. 

John left yesterday morning on a trip, and the way he did it was a surprise to his friends. But even more special were the gifts he left behind for many of us.

That sneaky John. An adventurer, one could never anticipate what he might do. He rode motorcycles, fought the ocean waves with pluck and argued a political point with zest, even when his ideas might be unpopular. He kept us amused with his ways.

Well, John took off on that trip, quite unexpectedly; but then some of us had a hunch he might be do it as a surprise. He'd talked about it, got his papers; and it was understood he would meet his wife later.

We spent the afternoon talking about John. What a guy! He's probably laughing right now, where he is, even though he likely knows we'll miss him for awhile and that we'll see him sooner or later. We might have wished he hadn't taken off like that because we didn't have a chance to see him off. It got a little tough along the way, but he said to his wife, “I can make it out of here myself. You've got things to do before you catch up.

What a delightful soul he can be, a bit of an angel with mischievous ways that those he meets now are likely entertained by him too. What we learned from him can last a lifetime for us and others. Actually I suspect he wouldn't mind me telling you all this, and might even be amused about the build up to his story as a little different way to do it. He left on those wings of good humor. When we meet up with him, I'll bet he'll regale us with how it all happened, so when we get ready to leave, we might not have too many concerns. I pray you get a chance to meet him too, not necessarily soon, but one day.

John Sullivan, a man in his 70's, died at Queen's hospital in Hawaii on January 23, 2014. And here's the rest of the story---.

Death is one of those things we don't talk about. Most of us say we believe in eternal life, that the soul continues. Some of us identify the destination as heaven; others say the don't know but believe there is a continuation of some kind of life. Even those, however, who maintain that when we die, it's over, may not be able to talk about their feelings or even change their attitudes near the time of death.

Many of us have read near death stories. Some of us believe them to be a serious recollection of a spiritual experience, while others maintain it is just a physiological experience explained by medical science.

We get to the point when we face the death of a family member, friend, or even ourselves; and suddenly we have to talk about something we have not had practice doing. Professionals who deal with death as part of their training and experience may have trouble themselves talking about death in a personal way.

So the way I did it today defines my way of thinking, that I trust can help people understand it is possible we are taking a journey when we die. For the baby, the new life outside the womb is a brand new experience. And we celebrate it. Can it not be possible that death's journey is also an experience that leads somewhere, that we might not, just as that baby, know exactly the process when it happens or exactly where we go? Religion comforts many people, and some have a belief that offers the description of death and its aftermath in some sort of framework that involves rewards, punishments and a special path with a place identified as heaven. Some say they have seen the place, after they died and returned, with many stories recollected just like that.

But still we don't talk about it. We don't smile when we reflect on the death of a friend, as we do with the birth of a child. Yet if we believe the soul is eternal, that life is part of an everlasting story of birth and death, just like all of nature, then why not talk about it in those terms in a genuine way that makes us feel it just might be true.

That's what I have learned from people like John and most recently John himself. And I offer it in the hope it helps you face the death of your friends and family, as well as your own, to know that it is something of value to speak about and not to be afraid to do it. For it is an inevitable event and easier to deal with when it comes if the talk is now, not later, and time wasted, with frustrations and misunderstandings when death comes.

Good luck for your journey, that's what John would say. So do I and potentially others who have gone on their way, each taking the journey alone, unable to share it except in some parts. But for all of us, each direction is different and even the bits we can feel, that we know, are special and worthy enough for sharing.