LETTING GO
by Betty J. Eadie

I hear from thousands of men, women, and children who are eager to tell me of their own near-death experiences. It is a wonderful source of joy for me to connect, however briefly, with other experiencers who are willing to share what they have learned about God. The love that they experienced radiates from them and nourishes me each time I hear a new story. I am also strengthened by the knowledge that sharing my experience has helped others to share theirs, setting into motion the ripple effect of the love that is spread by countless people as they pass on the message of God's love.
Even more people come to me in pain, grieving over the loss of a loved one. I know the pain of loss; I have buried an infant daughter and lost other family members, including my mother. I was present at the death of my dad. I still miss them all. They are on a long journey without me now, and knowing that they are all together, I wish at times that I were with them. But I do not grieve for them. Life on this earth as mortal beings was never meant to continue forever. We are here for only a season, and then we go home....
When I can, I try to help by sharing that message with people who come to me tormented by grief. The loss of someone you love can be painful, and recovery from it is a difficult challenge. The most intense pain that I have seen comes from people who have lost loved ones to long, debilitating illnesses. Frequently after resuscitation, the dying are kept alive artificially for extended periods of time. Medical care today can do a lot to maintain life in a body that is unable to live on its own. There are more people than ever facing the difficult decision we faced with my dad—the decision to let go.
Many people must make this decision, as we did with Dad, to let their loved one's body die. Not removing loved ones from the machines or not halting the procedures that maintain the signs of physical life in their body is often a selfish act.
Letting go is different from euthanasia. In euthanasia drugs are administered for the purpose of ending a life that is still sustaining itself. This is much like suicide and is a violation of the universal laws I was shown. Ending a life brings about a premature end to the spirit's time on earth. That soul is here to learn the lessons that we all came to this world to learn or to teach. Life should not be shortened but should be allowed to exist until its appointed time. I saw that spirits will stay near their bodies until they are released from them, anxious to go on. If life is sustained only by man-made inventions, then releasing it from that invention and letting that person go naturally, with drugs to aid pain, can be the ultimate act of love.