Thanks Anami for your thoughts and for the quote from Sri Chinmoy's
book "Death and Reincarnation." It's amazing that all of us there
did focus on my father's heart, and I prayed almost word for word as
Guru suggested - for God's Victory. It just shows how we can be
unconscious instruments when we try to live in the soul's realm and
not in the mind's. The most ironic thing was that a few days before
that I had been talking to someone from another Canadian Centre who
related his father's deathbed experience. He said that he had knelt
at his father's bedside and sang the Invocation. I told him I'd
never be a be to do that, knowing that my father and that side of
the family were not that accepting of spirituality. I also had no
idea that two days from then I'd be at my own father's deathbed!
When I was able to sing the Invocation (albeit silently), I thought
of how amazing it was that I had the opportunity. Another wonderful
thing that happened was that my father's brother - who had not been
on speaking terms with him (stupid human pride) - came to the
hospital in shock at the loss of his older brother. My brother and I
brought him into the room and told him to say everything he had NOT
said while my father was concious. Even though he was in a coma, we
knew he would hear and it would help him to pass on more peacefully.
My uncle sat beside my father, took his hands and told him how much
he loved him and that he was so sorry that they had not reconciled
and that he begged his forgiveness. We all cried and I knew once
again how our beloved Guru was working through our whole family. I
am so grateful.
Thanks Anami for your thoughts and for the quote from Sri Chinmoy's
book "Death and Reincarnation." It's amazing that all of us there
did focus on my father's heart, and I prayed almost word for word as
Guru suggested - for God's Victory. It just shows how we can be
unconscious instruments when we try to live in the soul's realm and
not in the mind's. The most ironic thing was that a few days before
that I had been talking to someone from another Canadian Centre who
related his father's deathbed experience. He said that he had knelt
at his father's bedside and sang the Invocation. I told him I'd
never be a be to do that, knowing that my father and that side of
the family were not that accepting of spirituality. I also had no
idea that two days from then I'd be at my own father's deathbed!
When I was able to sing the Invocation (albeit silently), I thought
of how amazing it was that I had the opportunity. Another wonderful
thing that happened was that my father's brother - who had not been
on speaking terms with him (stupid human pride) - came to the
hospital in shock at the loss of his older brother. My brother and I
brought him into the room and told him to say everything he had NOT
said while my father was concious. Even though he was in a coma, we
knew he would hear and it would help him to pass on more peacefully.
My uncle sat beside my father, took his hands and told him how much
he loved him and that he was so sorry that they had not reconciled
and that he begged his forgiveness. We all cried and I knew once
again how our beloved Guru was working through our whole family. I
am so grateful.
Devaki