FROM THE EDITOR'S PEN
/ What's Left Behind
/
Editorial List
I’ve had the opportunity to think a lot about end
of life issues recently. Last week, I spoke of
my dear friend Barbara’s passing; this Monday, I was
on a panel of experts who were interviewed for the
upcoming documentary
Life @ The End;
of course, there is the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and
the upcoming 20th anniversary of my dad’s passing.
I do hope you take the time to see the
documentary. I think the filmmakers struck just the
right note, talking more about the relationships of
those families highlighted in the film than the
inevitable events detailing the passing of their
loved ones.
As I see it, when the immediate and intense grief
of our loved one’s passing subsides, what remains is
the spirit of the moments you created together.
These are reflected in those flashes when you feel
their warmth as if they are still sitting right next
to you, or hear their laughter in the rustling of
the trees or even smell their favorite perfume
wafting in the wind when there is no one else around
wearing the brand.
What they leave behind is the spirit of
themselves that lives within everyone who ever knew
them. I sometimes see my grandmother’s twinkle
in my niece’s eye or see my dad’s expressions on my
brother’s face or even hear my grandfather’s voice
coming out of my own mouth, not only in inflections,
but in some of his favorite sayings. And although I
know that they are not really still here, they never
really left.
And for that, I am eternally grateful.
Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com
