A Dream about an Old Man Dying

An old man was dying in great pain. His children and grandchildren and their spouses and some great grandkids and a few other relatives were gathered into his hospital room chatting quietly and occasionally singing hymns.

He raised himself up from the bed a little and looked around at all his family–they were many–and quoted Lord of the Rings. “I go now to my fathers in whose mighty company I shall not now be ashamed,” and smiled a little and fell back down into the bed.

Time passed. They were singing hymns again. He tried to sit up but the pain was too great. A number of solicitous hands helped him back down. Solicitous voices said, “stay down, Dad. Stay down, Grandpa.” But he still struggled to sit up.

He told his oldest son, “command me to get up. Use the priesthood.”

His son was rattled. “Dad, I don’t think . . . You should stay down, I wouldn’t want to . . .”

“Command me to get up. Use the priesthood.” It was a croak, but emphatic.

Reluctantly and fearfully, the son raised his arm and commanded his father to get up.

Convulsively, his father got out of the bed, staggering. His IVs were being ripped out, there was blood, his cords and monitors were tangled and came down, and he was lurching and staggering. His legs shook. He was in pain. There was chaos, his family rushed around to steady him, getting in each other’s way. There was a hubbub of suggestions and efforts.

The hospital bed had a big set of windows. The room was high up. There was a treetop to the side and the sky.

He staggered toward the window. The closer he got the steadier he became.

He opened the window and standing there in his hospital gown the threw open his arms to embrace the sunlight.

Before anyone could stop him, he stepped up onto the sill and then stepped out.  But he did not fall.

He stepped up into the air as if there were stairs in the sunlight that eyes could not see. He became harder and harder to see as he rose higher, too full of light, less within the frame of the world. The illusion of age and mortality slipped off of him, he was young and muscled and almost transparent and then he was gone.