Changing Worlds in Eight
Days:
Lessons from the Life and
Death of Bill Pitstick
by Dr. Mark Pitstick
Having lived a rich and
wonderful life, my dad Bill Pitstick recently
made an equally wonderful transition from this
earth.
Dad was diagnosed with
severe leukemia on May 7th and was
given 2 to 4 months to “live” with severe
fatigue, shortness of breath, bleeding, and
being bedridden.
He was always one to handle
every situation magnificently and decided the
only way to win this one was to check out ASAP.
He crossed over just eight days after his
diagnosis—an awesome display of how we have much
more control over our lives than most realize.
During his last waking
moments two days before his passing, dad
described how he was feeling. Here are some
excerpts:
¨
“I feel the best I
ever have in my entire life. Everything is very
smooth, like I'm covered with plastic.
Everything feels soft, all around me and I feel
soft—like a new towel that hasn't been washed
yet.”
¨
“If things in life
don't work out how or when you think they
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.”
¨
“My, oh my, I've had
such a great life. I've had so many wonderful
experiences, met so many great people, so many
family and friends. I'm so blessed.”
¨
“I’m going to take a
nap. You guys are talking me death!”
Vintage Bill Pitstick: a
wonderful mixture of humor, gratitude, faith,
love and adventure.
It was obvious that his
soul was already slipping away and he was
feeling the peace and bliss of being in fuller
connection with Spirit. He wasn't on any
medications, by the way, that would cause
delirium or euphoria.
He became tired and it was
time to say good-bye. We all gave him a big hug
and kiss. Dad told us to watch for a hawk on
the drive home. He loved hawks and always
spotted them wherever he went. He said, "I love
you all", gave us a big wink, and closed his
eyes.
Those were his last words
and about thirty six hours later, he flew away.
On the drive home, a huge
hawk flew so close in front of us that we almost
hit it. We looked at each other and said,
“Well, there’s grandpa’s hawk!”
May you all deeply know
that living and dying are totally safe, lawful
and exquisitely designed for optimal service,
adventure, growth, and enjoyment.
When people ask if they can
do anything, I say 'yes', do all you can in
these four areas in which dad excelled:
1. Love with all your
heart and don’t hold back
2. Follow your dreams and
serve others with every fiber of your being
3. Enjoy every
moment of every day—even the little things and
the cloudy days
4. Laugh often,
loud and long—like dad did.
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 seems like a sad and painful tragedy
sometimes. However, when we remember that life
is eternal, we can remember to laugh and 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
Body: 7/3/27
– 5/15/07
Soul:
timeless, ageless, deathless, immortal,
infinitely one with Creator
* * *
* * * *
We love you
dad/husband/grandpa/great-grandpa/uncle/brother/friend/servant
of God.
We miss you greatly, but
rejoice in having known such a special human
being who lived such a rich life. We’re proud
of you for all you did and all you were. You
taught us how to live fully and were always a
bright light—even during dark times.
We know that death is not a
‘good-bye’ but, rather, just a ‘see you later.’
We look forward to our
glorious reunion when we cross over. We
joyfully anticipate getting a big Bill Pitstick
hug and seeing your ornery grin.
See you later dad. Let’s
keep in touch.
Love,
Mark
P.S. In the original
German, ‘Aloysius’ meant “famous warrior.” I
never knew that, but somehow, it doesn’t
surprise me.
