The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments

by Hadley Vlahos

I’ve found it to be generally true in life that, in the end, things are usually okay. Sometimes it just takes a lot of hard work and uncertainty to get there.

Sue was smiling. With her eyes still closed, she said, “Hey, I know that one day you’ll have a long line of people waiting to greet you at the gates of Heaven, but they better get out of my way because I’ll be the first one to hug you when you get there, okay?” After all these months of trying my best to offer comfort to Ms. Sue, to let her know I saw her, here she was comforting me.

When the time comes, we all want the same things: care, comfort, and connection.

‘What we once deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.’

“I wish I had those answers. I’ve just come to find some comfort in the unknown. All I know is that Frank and others just like him show us that we don’t have to be scared. We’ll find out for ourselves one day.”