Sunday, May 9, 2010
Posted in
Life
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Religion
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Kathleen Delekta Lowney. That's the name of Warren's local pharmacist who was hit by a car and killed on April 30th. The accident occurred right outside of Delekta's pharmacy on Main Street. Main Street is the main thoroughfare between Providence and Newport, and it is like a highway all day long. Ironically, I was at the accident scene shortly after Kathleen had been taken to the hospital. There was a woman standing there, but I didn't speak to her. The SUV that hit Kathy was still there. The news story that I read later said the driver was a woman, so perhaps that woman was the driver. There didn't seem to be anything to see, so I pedalled on, not knowing that one of my favorite people had just been run over.
I didn't know Kathleen that well, but I knew her well enough to like her very much. She was a solid person in so many ways: hard-working, intelligent, interesting, helpful. She was also honest and straight-forward and serious, qualities I admire. In three years, I had only a couple conversations with her of any substance, and each time I was surprised by how much character she displayed. (Intelligent people with mature and well-developed characters are hard to find in this world.) I immediately identified her as a person I would like to know better. But she was liked by everyone, and I was just a customer, so there was really no way to become friends. Even so, every time I walked into Delekta's, I hoped that she would be at the counter so I could say hello. I can't explain why she made such an impact on me, but she did.
Kathleen had worked at Delekta's for more than 50 years. The store had belonged to her father. In one of our conversations, she told me that when her father died, he left the entire store to her brother, leaving her out of it altogether (apparently because she was a "girl"). Kathleen was still bitter about it, though it had happened years earlier. Two years ago, Kathleen's mother died in a fire at the age of 98. So Kathleen had experienced her share of grief.
It's normal to turn to religion in the face of death, and I'm no different. However, my religion (the Seth Material) isn't your average faith. Seth said that we choose our deaths on an unconscious level, and that by the time we die we have lost enough of our attachment to the world that we are ready to go. As to why Kathleen chose to die at this time, I can only guess. She had spent her entire life in one community working in one store. At the age of 78, there was nothing lying ahead of her but more of the same, followed by the slow decline of advancing old age. Perhaps after so many years of doing the same thing, she had done it enough. Perhaps she wanted to go out at the top of her game, working full time and feeling productive. Perhaps her relationship with her mother had been important to her, and her mother's death took away one of her reasons for living. Her children were all grown, so the task of raising her family was behind her. She may have also wanted to teach a lesson to the community (and the driver of the SUV) about the value of life.
If what Seth said is true, Kathleen is now in an after-death environment deciding what to do next. If she has chosen to reincarnate, she is deciding what kind of life to live. If she has chosen not to reincarnate, she is deciding what environment to occupy next -- i.e., which universe or plane of existence best suits her needs. According to Seth, one thing is certain: She is in a joyful place. The after-death environment is what most people think of as Heaven. Her life continues in this new environment. She continues to live and learn, and she develops new relationships. When she died, she undoubtedly met her deceased relatives and friends from this life, as well as friends from previous lives (meaning, in other words, that she is not alone). With the increased creative powers that she has in her spiritual form, she may have reconstructed her life in Warren to ease the shock of transition. She may, depending on her choices, still be going to the pharmacy every day to dispense prescriptions. She may also be reviewing the events of her life to see how she could have lived them differently. Eventually, however, she'll set all that aside and move on to new things.
Happy travels, Kathy. I hope to encounter you again. The next time, I want to know you better.
Kathleen had worked at Delekta's for more than 50 years. The store had belonged to her father. In one of our conversations, she told me that when her father died, he left the entire store to her brother, leaving her out of it altogether (apparently because she was a "girl"). Kathleen was still bitter about it, though it had happened years earlier. Two years ago, Kathleen's mother died in a fire at the age of 98. So Kathleen had experienced her share of grief.
It's normal to turn to religion in the face of death, and I'm no different. However, my religion (the Seth Material) isn't your average faith. Seth said that we choose our deaths on an unconscious level, and that by the time we die we have lost enough of our attachment to the world that we are ready to go. As to why Kathleen chose to die at this time, I can only guess. She had spent her entire life in one community working in one store. At the age of 78, there was nothing lying ahead of her but more of the same, followed by the slow decline of advancing old age. Perhaps after so many years of doing the same thing, she had done it enough. Perhaps she wanted to go out at the top of her game, working full time and feeling productive. Perhaps her relationship with her mother had been important to her, and her mother's death took away one of her reasons for living. Her children were all grown, so the task of raising her family was behind her. She may have also wanted to teach a lesson to the community (and the driver of the SUV) about the value of life.
If what Seth said is true, Kathleen is now in an after-death environment deciding what to do next. If she has chosen to reincarnate, she is deciding what kind of life to live. If she has chosen not to reincarnate, she is deciding what environment to occupy next -- i.e., which universe or plane of existence best suits her needs. According to Seth, one thing is certain: She is in a joyful place. The after-death environment is what most people think of as Heaven. Her life continues in this new environment. She continues to live and learn, and she develops new relationships. When she died, she undoubtedly met her deceased relatives and friends from this life, as well as friends from previous lives (meaning, in other words, that she is not alone). With the increased creative powers that she has in her spiritual form, she may have reconstructed her life in Warren to ease the shock of transition. She may, depending on her choices, still be going to the pharmacy every day to dispense prescriptions. She may also be reviewing the events of her life to see how she could have lived them differently. Eventually, however, she'll set all that aside and move on to new things.
Happy travels, Kathy. I hope to encounter you again. The next time, I want to know you better.
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