Saturday, August 04, 2007

Nothing to Fear

A neighbor who has known Dad since 1963, when six families moved into the six newly constructed homes that occupy the small street on which I grew up, expressed to me her fear of death. Speaking as one who was dead for a brief time, I can say with assurance that there is nothing in death to fear. I wish I could say exactly what was there during those six minutes that I was dead, but I can say that when I was brought back, I was pervaded by the most peaceful contentment I have ever felt in my life.

It's not death that should frighten, it's the prospect of what we leave undone and incomplete. All any of us can ask is to be allowed to help those we love, to provide for those who rely on us, and to make the world better for our presence.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear Cliff, This is Donna, Paul's wife. I just wanted to extend to you my heartfelt sympathy in reguard to your father's ill health. Paul has taken our family to visit your Parents in there lovely home. Wish it could of been more often and I could of gotten to know your Dad better.I have family in Rome too, do you know any Ayers? I love riding up to Cedar Town visiting Cave Springs, the ball park named after Paul's Uncle Tom and seeing Bigger's Street signs but what strikes my memory the most are the glorious rocks.....Rocks every where..houses made of rocks, bridges of rocks , even old rock benches to have a picnic on...beautiful river rocks....I think from reading about your Dad that he was your Rock...the rock you could cling to when times got bad, the rock that would glisten in the stream of your life...We all want the best for our children and when we have to leave them behind I think that the best thing that we could ask for would to be remembered with love and to know that we were once the glistening rock in the stream of there life for a while......My thougts and prayers are with you and your whole family....
Donna Biggers....