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Life After Death
My grandmother knew that her husband was waiting for her on the other side
My father’s parents had different personalities but they were close. My grandfather did not want to go to the hospital when he became sick. He unhooked himself from every IV and machine that monitored him. I don’t know if hospice care was a thing back in 1981 but he wanted to go home. He did not get his wish and he did not return home after being admitted to the hospital.
My grandmother did not seem sick when my grandfather was in the hospital. She willingly went to the hospital a few months after my grandfather passed. She did not make any demands and she fully cooperated with her nurses and doctors. Grandma had many visitors in the hospital but when visiting hours were over, Grandpa would visit. She told us that he went away when others were around.
My grandmother seemed to be much more at peace during her short stay at the hospital. She was unafraid of death. Her husband was waiting for her and life after death was pain-free. Grandma died about three months after my grandfather. I was seven years old. I didn’t understand why there was so much sadness. It felt like Grandma was watching over us and I felt confident that she was with Grandpa too.
My grandparents were from Okinawa, otherwise known as the Ryukyu Kingdom. At the time, I didn’t know that the religion…
