The Hardest Conversation You'll Ever Have, Part 1 (Preparing for the Inevitable)

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:32: “The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.”

The featured quote for this episode is from John Steinbeck. He said, "It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying, and try to live so that our death brings no pleasure to the world."

Our topic for today is titled "The Hardest Conversation You'll Ever Have, Part 1" from the book, "The Art of Dying: Living Fully into the Life to Come" by Rob Moll. 

Today, it is almost impossible to die alone, as gradual dying often requires a group of caregivers to assist in the daily activities of life, like eating and bathing, and the tasks of medical care, such as trips to the doctor and the administration of medicine. It is amazing, therefore, that despite the entourage of people who must assemble to care for a dying person, we have so much difficulty bringing up the subject. 

Conversations about our values and those of our loved ones at the end of life are certainly not easy. We are quick to believe that a family member’s, or even our own, illness is not that bad. One woman told me that her brother sent her an email while their mother was in the intensive care unit in the hospital. He lived about an hour’s drive away. Rather than offering to visit or any kind of support, he told her, “I don’t think mom’s really that sick.” We all have our own personal obstacles to facing someone’s death. 

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