When my son Cory was six years old, he was trying to make a point about life after death. He grabbed a box of macaroni from the pantry. With a flourish, he ripped the top off the TV and dumped the contents on the dining room table. He then separated the cheese packet from the noodles. He pointed to the cheese and pasta and said, “There; see, this is like when you die. Your body is just an empty macaroni box. When you dump the noodles and cheese, all you have left is an empty package. The good stuff is still perfect and lives on forever, but the body withers and dies. You can burn it, bury it, rip it up, or whatever, and it doesn’t matter because your energy or soul lives on. So, even when I die, I’ll still love you. I will love you for infinity.” Cory also made a point of reminding me and others not to fear death. “We all have to die someday, so live the best life possible.” Words of wisdom shared by a little boy.
Cory’s out-of-body experiences started a year after demonstrating his macaroni box theory. After a while, he could leave his body at will. His visits to the other side of the rainbow bridge gave him a sense of peace about his impending death. His peace bolstered my beliefs and gave me comfort. When my friend Elaine Purchase was shooting the KOMO-TV story about Cory, she interviewed a few of his schoolmates. One said, “I used to be afraid of dying, but not anymore.” Elaine asked him why he was no longer afraid; Rasan (not sure if I am spelling his name right-sorry) replied, “well, Cory said everyone has to die someday, so I just said, OK.” Cory also counseled five suicidal teenagers before his death. (for more information, check out “Over the Rainbow Bridge – Cory’s Story” on Youtube.com.
One of the things Cory told me before he left his body for good was that he chose me to be his mom and that together we were supposed to teach people not to be afraid of death. I have written “Over the Rainbow Bridge” about him and another grief book called “Six-Word Lesson on Coping with Grief” and have done grief work helping kids, teens, parents, and grievers in general. I worked in television, where I could do shows and stories to help people. Thanks, son, for pushing me down my path.
Cory said, “You cannot fully live if you live in fear of death.”
Be well,
Shirley
Thanks go to Ray Hennessy for the lovely photo.
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