If you’ve ever had a loved one die, you know what a stressful time it can be.
Of course, it’s hard on the people surrounding the dying person, but it’s even harder for the one who is about to pass away. After all, they are moving on to the unknown, the next adventure, and when their time comes, they must go alone.
A lot of the time, people know that they are dying before it even happens.
Therefore, they must come to terms with the end of their life as they face it head-on. For those of us who have never been in that situation, it’s pretty hard to imagine. How do you face the end of your life with poise and grace, accepting whatever must come next?
People deal with their deaths a lot of different ways. But for Maria, a lifelong singing and piano teacher, music seemed to be the best way to deal with life’s final great adventure: death.
Since she had taught music for so long, Maria had students scattered all over the place. And while they were all able to learn from her amazing teaching skills, some went on to do different things with their lives.
One of those students ended up working at her hospice care home in Austinburg, Texas.
The student’s name was Joshua, and though he was already well into adulthood, he had known Maria since he was only 9 years old. Maria had started teaching him music then, and his passion for singing and piano only got deeper as time went on.
The fact that they had known each other for so long had undoubtedly created a bond between the two. After all, you don’t just forget somebody who’s taught you so much in life. Music can create exceptionally strong bonds, as it has the power to move people emotionally like not much else in this world.
Maria had expressed a final wish: She wanted to hear the song “How Great Thou Art” before she passed.
It was a song that meant a lot to her and that gave her great comfort. To be able to hear that before passing on would be a way to celebrate life at the very end of it.
Since Maria had been such a great teacher, Joshua was prepared to sing the song to her. After all those years of lessons, he still knew how to make his voice sound beautiful enough to deliver the song that Maria wanted to here.
Therefore, he stood next to her bed and delivered a beautiful performance.
You can almost see Maria visibly relax as Joshua starts to sing the song that she had so dearly wanted to hear.
This is the kind of caregiving that truly makes a difference. While Maria passed away shortly after this event, it’s clear that Joshua provided an amazing service for the woman before she died. When what she desperately needed was comfort and familiarity, that’s what Joshua was able to give her.
Death is something that we all must come to terms with.
Before it happens to us, we’ll see parents, friends, and other family member pass away before our eyes. And until we get there ourselves, we need to do whatever we can to make sure that we’re ready. It seems like this woman’s passion for music helped prepare her for her final journey. Though she may be gone, her knowledge and talent live on in Joshua and all the other students she taught over the years.
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