According to Mona Simpson, the sister of Steve Jobs, those were his last words as she described them in a moving eulogy about her brother recently published in the New York Times. See:
I've often thought about what my final last words might be, but it's unlikely I'll be lucid enough to remember them.
One thing I do know is that I do not want to be all hooked up to machines and IVs with a tube down my throat in some hospital as I struggle to get the words out, whatever they might be. Just give me the "happy kool-aid" and I'll be on my way...
You should think about that too... So... if you have not as yet created a "Living Will" with a medical directive, I would urge you to do at once. Having one should help you avoid the uncontrolled hospital exit described above. Mindy and I have updated ours in the last several weeks and you should either think about one or review the one you have...
In a related segway, let me also recommend this book to those whose loved ones may be dying in hopes you might better understand the concept of "nearing death awareness" which should not be confused with a "near death experience" with which most people are more familiar.
The book review said...
"Final Gifts has become a classic. In this moving and compassionate book, hospice nurses Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelly share their intimate experiences with patients at the end of life, drawn from more than twenty years experience tending to the terminally ill.
Through their stories we come to appreciate the near-miraculous ways in which the dying communicate their needs, reveal their feelings, and even choreograph their own final moments: we also discover the gifts - of wisdom, faith and love- that the dying have for the living to share.
Filled with practical advice on responding to the requests of the dying and helping the prepare emotionally and spiritually for death, Final Gifts shows how we can help the dying person live fully to the very end."
I'll also post the link to this book in the Related Thoughts and Resource section in the menu to the right.
It is very beautiful over there.
~~ Thomas Alva Edison, inventor, d. October 18, 1931
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