Meaning of Life

Not Yet The Long Sleep
by John LeClare

Glittering dark, dancing
Before my eyes, closed
Everything I see, shadowed
In roaring silence
I hear
Falling
A feather
Soundless, a brush
My lovers touch
Bitter, life's bile
Sweet, love's taste
Shadows of tomorrow
Darken the path of yesterday
What was will not be
What is, stands
Before my eyes, open
My life

As a Nurse, I've seen people at their weakest moments in life, where they are holding on to a thin rope to keep from falling. And as a health care professional, it's our duty to do everything we can. But from experience, i've learned that there is only so much we can do. The rest is up to God. In Terri Shiavo's case for example, health care professionals did everything to keep her alive for all these years through the feeding tube. Yesterday she died, after being deprived of nutrition for 13 days. I'm not going to go into deatils of this case but i feel it is totally immoral to starve someone to death. As a Critical Care Nurse, I've seen countless times where we torture patients at their end of life, with needles and tubes in every orifice imaginable. And there is instances where the patient's wishes are not clearly stated. Therefore, we must listen to whoever is the next of kin. It's such a difficult decision for a person's family to make, especially if their loved one never addressed their wishes to them. This is why i'm a big advocate for Advanced directives, Health-care proxy . A health care proxy is someone who you designate as your voice, when you cannot speak for yourself. Obviously when you make someone your health care proxy, it's important that individual knows ALL your wishes, and it's someone who you trust, and that can follow through with your wishes. If you want more information, check out this site, http://www.uslivingwillregistry.com/forms.shtm