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The title of this article includes the three words that perhaps, people fear the most. Aging, sickness and death.

We know that we can't live this life forever and yet we fear the inevitable so much that we constantly try to hold back the natural aging process, go to great lengths not to be ill and fend off death as though we are in the ultimate war over good and evil.

I have had the privilege to nurse several people who were terminally ill, and so see them through to their last moments. I say privileged not because I am enjoying myself, (it can be very sad), but because it is at these times that the person that I am trying to help is at their most vulnerable and perhaps in a more open state than they have ever experienced before.

I have felt very humbled in the presence of a dying person when they seem so wise, accepting what is happening to them and yet being very much alive. I have seen people at such a time exude an atmosphere of love and gentleness, the kind of which they never seemed to have beforehand when they were well.

Some people take a long time to reach this inner state of peace that helps them and go through a gamete of emotions before it can be possible to move on spiritually.

The people who I have seen do this the most successfully are those who put their lives in order, say what they need to say and find meaning in the life that they have been living.

Some people find meaning in death itself as a means of accepting its knocking on their doors.

As for aging, it happens to me every day. It was just that when I was allot younger I didn't notice and it had little significance, beyond coming of age which I remember I thought was a great idea at the time.

Now, as I age , it reminds me that as time passes I am constantly gaining new experiences and knowledge with which to live the rest of my life to the full. I hope that when it comes time for me to leave this mortal coil I can do so gracefully, finding solace in the knowledge that as many of us approach death we are far more emotionally prepared than we can imagine while we are well.

Others may find it easier to accept life's dramatic changes if they have some spiritual beliefs which go beyond physical manifestations. Believing that aging, sickness and death are all part of a far greater plan made by the maker of human beings can help make the end of our lives easier to come to terms with.

Like-wise, holding the belief that we, as individuals, are here on Earth for a reason and that our selves as spiritual beings have somewhere to go when our physical bodies are finished with, can give us a sense of purpose and dampen our fears of ceasing to be at the end of this life.

Learn more about this author, Bridget Webber.
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