Dealing With Death

I could tell that he was falling deeper into a more confused and disoriented state. My friend couldn’t comprehend why his family member was acting so rudely in this way. Rather than the light-hearted jokes and kind remarks that were sent back in forth via text or over the phone, the voice on the other end grew distant and cold. They lashed out at everything that my friend said and used the spaces and pauses in-between conversations to bad-mouth my friend who had done so much for this family member. This person was dying and was leaving a dry and bitter taste in the memory of my friend as this person was reaching their end.

I’m not sure why death has been swirling around me this year. Friends have either had their own brushes with death, had family members pass all around the same time, or have recently died. However, the reactions that come from these timely, or untimely, passings have varied widely from complete denial to complete breakdown. What I have learned from all of this is that there is no one right way to deal with death.

Circumstance does not determine how anyone should or would react to death. I have three friends whose grandmas have all died within the last few months. One has come to accept the passing of her grandmother. Although she was sad to see this person go, she felt at peace with the fact that her grandmother had gone on into the next life without pain while…