The spirit lives forever.

I do not wish for anybody to die. But I have to acknowledge that some deaths are a blessing. Especially for those with a debilitating disease, such as late-stage Alzheimer's. My dear Jeanne died of Alzheimer-related complications several years ago. At the time, I was devastated. But now I recognize death was a good thing. For Jeanne. For everyone. My girlfriend's mother died of Alzheimer's on Saturday. There will be grieving for a while. But once again, I try to console the bereaved by suggesting that from this death much good will spring. Especially if one believes in an afterlife. I do. Maybe it's because I want to. I choose to. It helps to make me a romantic idealist. I want life to go on forever. In one form or another. Anyway, if it doesn't, I will never know. I live life the way I want life to be. Maybe that's not the way it is. But that doesn't stop me. All I know is that my girlfriend will have an easier life now that her mother has died. She will have less stress in her life. If for no other reason than she's no longer an exhausted and overworked care-giver. And I keep reminding her, the spirit survives. Her mother still lives. In peace and harmony. Alzheimer's doesn't ravage the spirit. --Jim Broede