Don't Fear the Reaper

Margo and I put thought into the topics we discuss and what order to present them in. While each can stand alone, we also like to offer progression for regular listeners. In addition, we want to remain flexible as we hope to get input from audience members on what they want to discuss. So our show is very malleable; that’s the way we flow.

Little did we know that our personal lives could potentially influence our content. A few days before our scheduled podcast on Oct. 21, Margo learned her brother’s illness had taken a downturn. As she prepared to head from North Carolina to Florida to visit before his passing, she contacted me to say she wouldn’t be able to be in the podcast that week. I decided to forge ahead alone and see if I could pull off a solo program with the gracious understanding of our listeners. “Spelling: Modern Manipulations” was on the schedule but was more of Margo’s expertise and I worried about doing the topic justice.

The day of the program, Margo contacted me again. Her brother passed away before she could get to Florida, and, since she was still at home, she wondered if I would mind letting her participate after all. I didn’t hesitate - as long as she was up to it, I wanted her to do what she felt led to do. Then she asked if we could change the topic and look at death. Some might see such last minute requests as a bother, but to me, it felt right. I wracked my brain for a catchy title to promote the change in topics, and I was led to look at our list of potential discussion. There on the list was “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” It was kismet.

I put out the word on social media, posted a new event, and postponed the previous one on spelling. Margo and I briefly chatted to determine the content and the show came together nicely.

We spent time talking about people’s views on death before relaying a number of stories where we had personal interactions with those that had passed. We discussed relatives and treasured pets, time before their passing as well as their return after crossing over.

Our experiences with death are as varied as the individuals that experience it. Yet the consistent thread through all of the stories is, our human death is in no way our end.