Death

Death is a reality in this line of work. Tonight, I got to see first hand, the pain of losing a loved one.

One of our residents had been fighting a losing battle with a brain tumor, for some time now. Tonight, with his family nearby, he closed his eyes and slipped off into a permanent sleep. Not a bad way to go, really. He had been declining for about a week and a half, and his daughter had spent a good deal of time with him, almost every night, for at least the past three months.

I wasn't very close to him, but the loss still affected me, because I got to see the grief of the family. There was an air of sorrow in the entire building, and, although this may sound a little kooky, I could feel a strange aura in the vicinity of the deceased's room. Us Girls were rather upset over it, and the boss-lady got called in to handle the situation.

Many people are scared of death, which is quite natural. I've never lost anyone close to me, so I really can't sympathize fully with the pain of loss. Death, to me, is another journey, one we all must take. I choose to believe there is something wonderful waiting for us after we leave this earth. Whether it is Heaven, Nirvana, Elysium, Reincarnation, or simply fading into the wind...

Someday, we all will find out. I can only hope that my death is gentle, as his was.