by Mark Pitstick MA, DC
If you’ve not already, please read . . .
- ‘The Great News‘ (article #19 at SoulProof.com/Articles)
- ‘Eight Developments for Widespread Conscious Living Now’ (#125)
- Greater Reality LIVING Program: Integrating ‘The 8 Developments’ Into Your Daily Life (#72)
- Greater Reality HEALING Program: Journeying FROM Deeply Grieving TO Brightly Shining (#82)
The evidence-based information and holistic resources outlined in these articles will help you to:
- realize your true nature as an eternal being of consciousness / life-force / energy
- receive guidance and assistance from highly evolved energies and Source / The Light
- heal old wounds, release lower energies, and update erroneous teachings
- create the greatest life YOU have envisioned (YOU = your higher self / soul)
- help others by sharing your greatest gifts
- make our world a better place
As enough people do this, widespread personal and planetary change will naturally unfold.
Changing Worlds in Just 8 Days
(credit to Jules Verne, author of ‘Around the World in 80 Days‘ for his magnificent title that inspired mine.)
Bill Pitstick – my dad and one of my best friends – passed on in 2007 at the age of eighty. He was always larger than life, happy, positive, and a great role model. Dad helped many people in many ways and was adored by his many family and friends. I felt very sad when he passed on. However, my knowledge of the afterlife evidence and my religious/spiritual faith lightened my grieving. I was able to grieve deeply and, at the same time, celebrate his graduation into the next phase of forever.
Dad didn’t have an easy life at times. In his later years, he developed lung, bladder, skin, and blood cancer. He also had open heart surgery twice. Despite all this, he never complained and was very happy and positive. Later, dad turned his suffering into an asset while volunteering at hospitals. He could comfort patients better than anyone because he had been through so much, but was still going strong.
He grew up in the Catholic faith and found real solace in it, but was also open- minded about other perspectives. My parents and I had many great talks about life after death evidence, reincarnation, and related topics. Dad appreciated his religious roots and enjoyed learning about other viewpoints. A strong combination.
On May 5, 2007, dad was in the hospital for what his doctors thought was congestive heart failure (CHF.) It’s a fairly common condition later in life for those who don’t practice optimal self-care. The early stages of CHF don’t cause death, but it can be a step in that direction. Fortunately, it can be reversed with natural health care and healthy lifestyle habits.
However, like many in his generation, dad didn’t exercise or eat healthfully. He unquestioningly trusted medical authority and was on several drugs. The only natural health care he wanted was chiropractic adjustments for relief of pain. He was very overweight and his health had been slowly going downhill.
Even so, I expected that he would live at least a few more years.
My fiancé Andy and I went to visit dad at the hospital and looked forward to seeing him at home in a few days. On the drive back, Andy looked concerned. When I asked what was wrong, she said, “Mark, an entity was there to help him die.”
I initially dismissed her words since CHF can often be controlled for years with the right medication. It also was early in our relationship and I was still wrapping my head around her being able to occasionally see auras, energy, and spirits.
I also didn’t want to hear that my beloved dad was near death.
Andy persisted about what she saw. “What did the spirit being look like?” I finally asked. Her description was that of a short, busty, older woman with pulled-back hair, and a flowered house-dress. She was standing quietly in the corner and gave her name as Agnes.
I forgot all about it until a few days later after the doctors ran more tests and determined dad had severe leukemia. They estimated that he had only four more months to live with severe shortness of breath, bleeding, and extreme fatigue.
We don’t let animals suffer like that but, somehow, it’s okay for humans?
Dad handled the news like a champ and said, “Don’t feel bad about this. Everyone has to die sometime. The Lord and I have an agreement: I’m going to move on when it gets too bad.”
I told him about Andy’s vision of the woman in his hospital room. He asked about details and, after I told him, he cried tears of joy. “That’s my grandma Agnes, my mom’s mom. That’s exactly how she looked. When I came home from the war, I stayed with her and helped her while she was dying. Now she has come to help me.”
Years earlier, dad had two near-death experiences after major surgeries and each time was given an opportunity to enter the Light. He returned because he wanted to spend more time with his family and finish important community and church projects.
We discussed the prospect of four more months of those symptoms and being incapacitated. He was a man of action and wouldn’t have wanted to be bed-ridden and bother others. I told dad that it was as if he had been given a train ticket to heaven. All he had to do was give them to the conductor and get on board. He liked that image and said, “I’ll talk with God about that.”
On May 13, I, Andy, my two daughters and son-in-law were visiting dad. After we retold the story about Andy seeing Agnes in the hospital room, my mom asked if Andy saw any spirit visitors at that time. Andy saw Agnes, an unidentified man, and another very quiet man who wore a dark suit and whose name started with a ‘H.’ Dad said that his grandpa Henry never said much.
Then Agnes told Andy to ask dad about the icebox. Andy had no idea what this meant, but relayed the message. Dad paused, then broke into a big grin and said, “Oh, the icebox. I had forgotten all about that. When I was young, I was grandma’s favorite. She had an icebox with a big chunk of ice that kept the food cool. If my brothers got into it, they got a switching. But I could have whatever I wanted.”
That fond memory launched a series of stories from dad as we laughed together. During his last waking hours on earth, it was obvious that his soul was slipping away and he was feeling the bliss of living in a fuller awareness of the greater reality. The hospice nurse said that he wasn’t on any medication that would cause euphoria or delirium.
Here’s how dad described it: “I feel the best I ever have in my entire life. Everything is very smooth, like I’m covered with plastic. Everything feels soft. It’s soft all around me and I feel soft—like a new towel that hasn’t been washed yet.”
I asked dad what last words of wisdom he wanted to leave with us. Some excerpts:
- “If something in life doesn’t work out how or when you think it should, don’t worry about it.Everything happens in God’s time and in God’s way.”
- “Don’t be afraid of dying or anything in life.The Lord will never put more on you than you can carry.”
- “I’ve had such a great life, so many wonderful experiences, a loving family and so many great friends.I’m so blessed.”
We talked, laughed and cried together until he felt tired and wanted to take a nap. “You guys are talking me to death,” he said.
Vintage Bill Pitstick humor. When you or a loved one are facing death, you can laugh too because it’s illusory, a cosmic joke since life and love are forever.
We all gave him a big hug and kiss. In his next to last words, he told us to watch for a hawk on the drive home. Finally, he said, “I love you all,” gave us a wink, and closed his eyes for the last time in this time and place. What an exit!
On the drive home, a huge hawk flew so close in front of us that we almost hit it.
That night, my brother called to tell me that dad had lapsed into a coma soon after we left and was now at the hospice center. I arrived in the middle of the night and family members took turns holding his hand, explaining what was going on, reviewing what a great life he had lived, and telling him how much we loved him.
The next day was a Monday and many of our extended family gathered around as dad moved closer to death. Mom said that Amazing Grace was one of dad’s favorite songs so we surrounded his bed, joined hands, and sang it to him. Later in the day, we coaxed Andy into singing it again since she has such a beautiful voice. That evening, a visiting choral group stopped by and, unsolicited, sang – you guessed it – Amazing Grace. Magical.
I asked Andy how many otherworldly visitors were present. She looked around and said, “too many to count.” She described many angels, guides, soulmates, animal spirits, cherubs, and other entities. They were there, she said, to honor a great soul, assist his transition, and accompany him back Home.
A week earlier, dad said he hoped that, in his final hours, he would be cared for by African-American nurses. “They are the best ones” he said. “They really know how to care for you.” Around 3am on Tuesday morning, two women from Jamaica lovingly washed him and changed his sheets. In my sad and exhausted state, they looked like angels. And they were . . . earth-angels.
By Tuesday morning, dad had been in a coma for 1 ½ days. Except for bathroom breaks, I had been by his side for 30 hours while others went home to sleep. I recalled that sometimes a dying person will wait to transition until a very close loved one is gone. I told dad that I was going to walk outside and was fine if he wanted to slip away while I was gone.
Standing under a huge oak tree, I picked up a stick and shook it at the sky. “Dad, if you haven’t graduated by the time I get back, I’m going to beat you with this stick.” That’s the way we were – and still are. There’s so much love that we can joke about anything. Ten minutes later when I returned to the room, several family members told me he had just crossed over.
They left soon after to prepare for the memorial service and other details. Andy and I stuck around since we knew that the soul may not leave all at once. I cried my heart out even though I knew it was not a good-bye, just a see you later.
I hugged his inert form and could feel that his essence was no longer there. His physical vehicle that had co-created my body, held me as a baby, taught me how to do a thousand things, gave big bear hugs, and so much more was no longer needed.
I told him how proud I was of all he had done during his earthly experience. I expressed my gratitude for having such a great dad. I urged him to fly away and not have any earthly concerns. I told him again that we would take good care of mom and we all would be alright.
My parting words to him that day were: “Bravo, dad. Congratulations on a life very well lived!” And then I realized . . . instead of suffering and lying in bed for four months, dad crossed over just eight days after his terminal diagnosis. That is an awesome demonstration of how much control we actually have, especially when seeing through eyes unclouded by fear.
The next time I saw that body, it was a bag of ashes. A week before dying, Dad and I had discussed what he wanted us to do with them. At first, he liked the idea of scattering them in favorite nature spots. But as he neared death, he said, “I don’t care what you do with them. That’s not me. It doesn’t matter to me if you throw them in the trash can.”
We scattered them in the hills and ocean that he loved so much.
After dad’s passing, several members of our family experienced inexplicable events: smelling the after-shave lotion he often wore, doors opening and shutting, objects being moved. Mom was pinched on the behind when no one else was in the house. On several occasions while talking to him, she felt the bed mattress push down as if someone were sitting beside her.
These signs continue to this day and comfort and energize us. They remind us that life continues on seamlessly, no matter what outward changes occur.
Since his passing in 2007, I still miss seeing him, talking with him, and hugging him. When that happens, I remind myself that he is very much alive and well. I continue to talk with him as if he were present because he is. And I listen for his subtle replies.
I’ve had dreams and waking contacts with him that feel like actual visits. I know that only his outer shell fell away. His love, huge heart, great personality, ornery grin, and tireless spirit continue on. I have no doubt that I will see him again more fully when I pass on.
Here are four of the many important lessons I learned from my dad:
- Love with all your heart and don’t hold back.
- Let your inner light shine brightly and serve with every fiber of your being.
- Enjoy every precious moment of every day, even the little things and the rainy days.
- Always remember that you are never alone.
Voltaire said that God is like a comedian playing to a crowd that’s afraid to laugh. If this earthly life is all there is, it certainly seems like a sad and painful tragedy at times.
However, when we remember that life is eternal, we can thoroughly enjoy this wonderful comedy, adventure, romance, and inspiring drama we call life on planet earth.
When people pass on, their birth and death dates are listed below their names, as if those were the beginning and end of their existence. Here’s another way:
William Aloysius Pitstick
Mortal Body: 7/3/27 – 5/15/07
Immortal Soul: timeless, deathless, one with Creator
Thank you for telling others about this article! Your life, and that of others around you, will be more enriched when you:
- read the article again so you really know it.
- discuss with close family and friends to more deeply internalize it.
- take action steps that seem right for you.
- share it with others via social media, discussion groups, and other ways.
Hugs, love, blessings, and let it shine!
Mark
Mark Pitstick, MA, DC
author, lecturer, counselor, and holistic chiropractic physician; spokesperson, research assistant, and strategic planner for the SoulPhone Project; founder of Greater Reality Living, Healing, Helping, and Sharing Programs
SoulProof.com SoulPhone.org GreaterRealityPrograms.com
Mark Pitstick, MA, DC is a master’s clinical psychologist, holistic chiropractic physician, and clinical nutritionist. He has also helped others in pastoral counseling and suicide prevention / education settings. His goal is to help you know and show that this earthly experience is a totally safe, meaningful, and magnificent adventure amidst eternity.
To learn more about the Greater Reality LIVING, HEALING, HELPING, and SHARING Programs, visit ‘Greater Reality Programs’ top tab at SoulProof.com and SoulPhone.org. Also see articles #19, 72, 82, 119, 122, and 125 at SoulProof.com/Articles.
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Instead of payment, he asks that you: (1) fully use and appreciate the products, (2) share them with others, and (3) help others in ways you feel called, that is, pay it forward.
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Note: This article is intended as a reference source, not to replace professional treatment for physical, emotional, or mental problems. The author disclaims any liability arising directly or indirectly from the voluntary use of action steps discussed in article.
I created this article while ‘wearing the hat’ of a clinician, counselor, and educator. My statements are based upon some scientific research; much clinical and experiential evidence; my personal experiences; and my best current understandings. This program does not reflect my roles with the SoulPhone Project since those require solid scientific data for all statements.
