Soul Words For Witnessing The End of Life

I wrote this in 2019, as my father was transitioning from this life.

I work with such beautiful souls as an End of Life Doula, supporting them through this transition. But it is so often those who are in the witnessing and who have to deal with the grief afterwards who might need these soul words from my own experience:

Today I allow myself to sit in stillness and I find my soul wanting to express.

Life is taking me on another portion of my journey, allowing me to see first hand a soul as it’s transitioning from human form to spirit.

It is very easy to get caught up in the turmoil of helping someone stay alive or in transitioning to death. When all eyes are on you to lead the way, your life can become consumed with it. And for good reason, it is someone’s life in your hands.

But, if you can allow yourself a moment. Allow yourself to be one with what is happening, it can be a much more peaceful journey. The realisation and understanding that death is not the end, it is simply your soul stepping out of its human form, can help bring peace to the reality of what is happening.

I started this journey 4 days ago, with my father telling me he was ready to die, he loved me, it was his time and he didn’t want to be here anymore. He is 93 and is very frail and has been in and out of hospital several times in the last fortnight.

My father has been a very determined man all his life and achieved much more than most people could possibly hope to achieve. I have inherited his determination and believed if he was ready to switch off, he would. I was at peace with his decision and was there to help him transition.

After 36 hours of him not wanting to eat or drink anything and only moments of consciousness he expressed, ‘I’ve tried twice today and don’t know what I’m supposed to do’. I held him tight and told him, ‘Your mind may have decided, but you need to feel what your body & soul wants’. I shared a little of my journey of connecting with my soul and allowed him to rest. He slept peacefully that night.

The following morning he woke up to say ‘I’ve seen both sides and I’m supposed to live’...

He seems very much at peace knowing, when his body is ready to go, he will happily go too. No more trying to let go and trying to make it happen, just live while his body allows him to live.

So today I allow my body the time and space to feel into her emotions. To allow my humanness to shed her tears, while my soul rejoices knowing my father has re-connected with his soul.

My father has been my teacher for a great part of my life and it feels beautiful to be able to gift this to him. I don’t know what lies ahead, but knowing my father’s mind, body and soul have become one after so many years of being disconnected, brings tears to my eyes and much joy to my heart and soul.

This deep experience for me was made so much easier because of the support I had in place and the healing I have been doing for a few years now. If you are dealing with the loss of a loved one and in need of support, please don’t forget about your own wellbeing during this time, however that might look for you.

I created my Healing Through Your Grief package, because I know how this is both a sacred and fragile time, as we hold, support, and feel deep emotions for our loved ones.