Just over two months ago, very early on the morning of my sister’s 51st birthday, she passed away from a sudden heart attack. No warning. No goodbye. Just gone. One moment she was here. The next, she wasn’t.
The shock and grief that followed have been some of the hardest emotions I’ve ever had to face. The pain of her absence has felt like waves crashing over me when I least expect it; hearing a bird singing, noticing the blue of the sky, a song that reminds me of her, or those awful moments when I forget for split second and think of calling her or including her in plans.
It has been raw and heavy.
In my search for comfort, I’ve turned to what I know best… spiritual truth. I started researching New Thought teachings about death, looking for solace. I needed more than just “she’s in a better place.” I needed to find words to help me put my thoughts, feelings, and beliefs in order and to process the loss.
New Thought teachings don’t shy away from death. They don’t pretend it doesn’t hurt. But they do offer hope and comfort. They teach that life is eternal, that death is not an ending but a transition. That the soul is never destroyed.
Ernest Holmes, founder of Science of Mind, believed that we do not truly die. He said that the essence of who we are, our spirit, our soul, and our consciousness, continues to unfold in new ways. He taught that love is eternal, and the bonds we form here are not broken by physical death.
New Thought Truths About Death:
Death is not the end. It is a transition into a new state of being.
The soul is eternal and continues its journey beyond the body.
We are spiritual beings having a human experience, not the other way around.
Love never dies. The bonds we form continue beyond physical life.
There is no punishment or eternal separation, only ongoing growth and expansion.
Death is not to be feared. It is part of divine order, part of life itself.
Our loved ones are still with us, just in a different form.
I don’t pretend this takes the pain away. It doesn’t. But it helps me keep breathing. It helps me find purpose in the grief. It helps me feel close to my sister, even when I can’t see or touch her. And it gives me hope that her journey continues and that mine still includes her, just in a new way.
I want to close by sharing this poem by Ernest Holmes that I have read over and over in the past weeks. I hope it brings you the same peace it brings me.
They Are Not Dead
by Ernest Holmes
They are not dead.
Those we have fondled to our breast
Have found sweet peace and quiet rest.
They live and move among the blessed.
They are not dead.
Beyond earth’s slowly setting sun
Another life has just begun,
Another course of action run.
They are not dead.
Beyond earth’s storms and mists and rain
Beyond all sorrow, fear and pain
New life, new joy, shall spring again.
They are not dead.
They have but found new songs to sing
New life and laughter there to bring
To love’s eternal spring.
If you’ve lost someone you love, I hope these words bring light to your heart. You are not alone. Feel free to share a memory, a name, or your own reflections in the comments. Let’s hold space for one another in love and truth.