“We must all learn to love and be loved unconditionally. All the hardships that come to you in life, all the tribulations and nightmares, all the things you see as punishments from God, are in reality like gifts. They are an opportunity to grow, which is the sole purpose of life. […]
It is very important that you do only what you love to do. You may be poor, you may go hungry, you may live in a shabby place, but you will totally live. And at the end of your days, you will bless your life because you have done what you came here to do.
The hardest lesson to learn is unconditional love. Dying is nothing to fear. It can be the most wonderful experience of your life. It all depends on how you have lived.”
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1926-2004)
(these were the last words she published; she’s a world reknowned doctor, psychiatrist and thanatologist who spent her whole life working with the dying, children, and AIDS patients; she is also credited with bringing the hospice movement to the U.S.)