In the summer of 1996 I was 22 and eager to learn both in and out of the classroom. I had transferred from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) down to Northern University (NAU) to be near a childhood friend. While attending NAU, I registered for a class entitled ‘Death, Grief, and Bereavement.’ I joked to my good friend that we would take a class fieldtrip to the cemetery on the most beautiful day of summer. I soon found out that that was not far from the truth. The class was required to visit a funeral home.
One of the class discussions was about Near Death Experiences or NDE’s. Our professor, Dr. Harold Widdison, reported on NDE’s. One man in particular had Cystic Fibrosis and had caught pneumonia and died in a hospital. He reported traveling through a tunnel and speaking with the being of light. After viewing flashbacks from his 40 years of life, the man was asked if there was anything else he would like to know. He replied that he wanted to know why he had had to live out his life with a debilitating disease. “You reallywant to know?” said the being of light. When the man replied “yes,” a flashback from a time when before the man was born appeared. He was asked to choose an experience that he would like to learn from in his lifetime. He chose to live out a lifetime with Cystic Fibrosis.
This was a life changing event for me. I had always viewed my disability as a cross I had to bear, a punishment, an uncontrollable force that was destroying my body from the inside-out. For me, the idea that my disability was my choice gave me back the control which I had missed during the prior decade.
One of the class discussions was about Near Death Experiences or NDE’s. Our professor, Dr. Harold Widdison, reported on NDE’s. One man in particular had Cystic Fibrosis and had caught pneumonia and died in a hospital. He reported traveling through a tunnel and speaking with the being of light. After viewing flashbacks from his 40 years of life, the man was asked if there was anything else he would like to know. He replied that he wanted to know why he had had to live out his life with a debilitating disease. “You reallywant to know?” said the being of light. When the man replied “yes,” a flashback from a time when before the man was born appeared. He was asked to choose an experience that he would like to learn from in his lifetime. He chose to live out a lifetime with Cystic Fibrosis.
This was a life changing event for me. I had always viewed my disability as a cross I had to bear, a punishment, an uncontrollable force that was destroying my body from the inside-out. For me, the idea that my disability was my choice gave me back the control which I had missed during the prior decade.
No Wheelchairs in HeavenLife isn’t always easy,
Sitting in a wheelchair. Sometimes I get discouraged, And loaded down with care. That’s when I lean on Jesus, To help me through the day. For He grants me peace and comfort, When trials come my way. The bible says there is a place, That someday I will see, Where there will be no sickness Or pain to bother me. I’ll walk upon a street of gold, Glorious beauty I will share. In a place called heaven, Where I’ll need no wheelchair. ---J. Morse |
DISCLAIMER:
I am not a Jesus freak. In fact, any structured religion tends to make me wanna throw something. I'd be rich if someone paid me for every time I have been asked if I have been "saved." Saved from what??? I grew up Catholic, I've paid my dues. However, the idea that there is more out there makes this my favorite poem. Life is too coincidental to be purely coincidence. Don't you think??? |
