Dying & Grief in T.V. & Cinema: M*A*S*H

August Goforth, who I quoted extensively in a previous post here, was kind enough to share a link that some of you might find helpful if you're dealing with grief.  The subject in question is from the iconic television show M*A*S*H, namely episode 11 from season 10, "Follies of the Living, Concerns of the Dead", which originally aired on January 4, 1982.

 

This particular episode was considered somewhat controversial for the time, as it follows the spirit of a dead soldier, Private Jimmy Weston (played by actor Kario Salem) who doesn't realize that he's died.  Weston drifts around the 4077 Base, listening to the various conversations among the regulars, unable to get their attention.  The only person who can see and hear him is Klinger (played by Jamie Farr), who is suffering from a delirious fever.  Eventually, Weston realizes that he is dead, and ponders the meaning of his life. 

You can read a detailed summary of the episode here at the M*A*S*H fandom site, although I definitely think it's worth spending the approximate US $2.00 on one of the streaming services to watch the episode in its entirety.  There were a couple times during the episode where I myself got a little teary-eyed, and it made me realize how so many of the things we get worked up about in our earthly lives seems so trivial and superficial.  Highly recommended if you are experiencing grief.

 

Personal Musings: Good Days and Bad Days

A lot of people over the last few months have asked me how I'm doing, especially in light of all the family loss I recently endured.  My response to their question?  Over and over again, I tell them that I don't really have "good days" and "bad days" anymore.  It's been hard for me to have good days in light of what's happened to me over much of the last year.  At the same time, I really don't have "bad days" either, because how can anything top losing your beloved family members?  Instead, I explain that instead of good days and bad days, I have "days that are manageable", and "days when I really struggle".

Several months ago, I would say that most of my days were the struggling ones, with only a few days here and there that felt manageable.  Nowadays, I'm having a slightly higher percentage of days that are manageable.  I can't remember where I first read it, but it's becoming clearer to me now: we don't ever fully recover from our grief -- we just get better at learning to live with it.

Books That Have Helped: "Hello From Heaven!"

Bill and Judy Guggenheim, authors of the 1995 classic book "Hello From Heaven!", are often heralded as pioneers in the research field known as "After Death Communications", or "ADCs" for short.  The Guggenheims interviewed over 300 people who spoke about being contacted by their deceased loved ones.  Some of these individuals received communications from their lost loved ones almost immediately after their deaths, while others received their first contacts months or even years later.  The chapters are organized primarily by the method of communication received: some detect familiar smells of their deceased relatives, others hear voices, bodily appearances, visitations through dreams, and some even receive messages over the telephone.

"Hello From Heaven!" will probably not appeal to those with a strong scientific mindset, as there isn't anything in the way of "hard evidence" to convince such readers.  But for those who are willing to trust and believe in the accounts and stories of those who were interviewed in the book, "Hello from Heaven!" can provide an enormous amount of hope and comfort.  Even though I've had the book for many years, I continue to find it a major source of solace, especially in recent months.

Words of Comfort: August Goforth

August Goforth is a licensed psychotherapist and author of several books that deal with grief and the afterlife.  They have been among my short list of "go-to" books when I have been feeling sad and depressed during my grieving.  You can learn about these books in more detail at https://therisenbooks.com/.  August also has a website/blog where he posts regularly, which I have also found to be a very helpful resource: http://augustgoforth.blogspot.com/.