How Do You Say Goodbye to a Loved One?

Saying goodbye to a loved one who’s dying can be one of the toughest things you’ll experience in this lifetime.

Saying Goodbye to a Loved One Who Is Dying

Goodbyes are never easy. Saying goodbye to a loved one who’s dying can be one of the toughest things you’ll experience in this lifetime. No matter how ready you think you are, it’s never easy when the time comes. If you’re dealing with this at the moment, my heart goes out to you.

When my mom went into long-term palliative care, I received a small booklet by Hank Dunn called Hard Choices for Loving People. It prepared me to cope with one of the most emotional and arduous times in my life! I share the following excerpt in the hope that you’ll find some comfort in the words now or in the future:

There are two ways to hold on. We can grasp tightly as we would a coin in our fist. We fear we will lose it, so we hold it tight. Indeed, if we open our hand palm down the coin falls from our possession, and we feel cheated. The other way to hold on is by opening our hand palm up. The coin may sit there, or it could be blown away or shaken out of our possession. However, while it is there, we are privileged to have it. We hold on with an open hand. Our hand is relaxed, and we experience freedom.

This small passage gave me comfort and bolstered my strength so I could get through those last months of my mom’s life. I was lucky enough to spend much time with her. As I perched beside her bedside, we laughed, cried, and shared stories and special memories.

With a sense of openness and acceptance, we chatted about the end of her life, the Other-Side, and what to expect. I told her how those who have gone on before he would be there to welcome her home so that she wouldn’t be alone on her journey. We talked about the signs she would send me, which to this day have been beautiful and heartfelt.

I’m not going to pretend that it was easy, but my mom lived the last part of her life with grace, peace, and dignity. She brought me into this world and held me with loving arms; in return, I held her in mine as she exited this world. I have no regrets because we said and did everything we needed to say and do.

JOHN’S LESSON

I’m sharing one of the most personal moments in my life to get across what I believe is an important message, namely: It’s possible to accept an imminent passing with love and acceptance.

I was able to enjoy my time with my mom while she was here instead of holding on tightly and refusing to let her go at the end. Please say what you have to say to the people that are in your life now so that you never have to say “I should have, could have, or would have . . .” or, “If only I had . . .”

Try to live your life with an open hand, and enjoy and appreciate every moment you have with your loved ones and friends.

Building Bridges to Trust

If you have a heartfelt story you feel might comfort others, I welcome you to share either on my Facebook page, or you can call into one of my Spirit Connections radio shows.

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About the Author

John Holland is an American artist, best-selling author, spiritual teacher, and public speaker, who describes himself as a psychic medium. johnholland.com

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John Holland

John Holland is an Internationally renowned psychic medium, spiritual teacher, author, and radio host. His public demonstrations offer audiences a rare glimpse into the fascinating subject of mediumship, which he delivers in his own unique style, explaining the delicate process of raising his own vibrational energy to link with the spirit from the Other-Side. He’s able to deliver messages, which he does with clarity, passion and the utmost integrity. John has spent a significant part of his life developing his psychic and mediumship abilities, and he spent two intensive years studying in the UK, where he got the thorough grounding and training to become one of the most sought after professional mediums on the world stage today! He has starred in several TV specials, including A&E’s “Mediums: We See Dead People,” which provided a fascinating insight into how John works as a Psychic Time Machine, where he’s able to pick up vibrations and detailed information, whether it’s seen, felt, or heard from a past event. He also starred in his own pilot “Psychic History” for the History Channel. He is the author of the best-sellers: Power of the Soul, Psychic Navigator, Born Knowing, The Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck, The Spirit Whisperer – Chronicles of a Medium, The Psychic Tarot For The Heart, The Spirit Messages – The Daily Guidance Oracle Deck as well as 5 top-selling Apps and numerous online workshops based on his signature workshop series. His latest book: was Bridging Two Realms.