William Hablitzel - Dying Was the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me: Stories of Healing And Wisdom Along Lifes Journey

Stories of Healing and Wisdom
Along Lifes Journey

WILLIAM E. HABLITZEL, MD

SUNSHINE RIDGE PUBLISHING

Copyright 2006 Hablitzel, William E.

All rights reserved under all Copyright Conventions.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author.

Published in the United States by Sunshine Ridge Publishing

Submit all requests for reprinting to:
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Publishers Cataloging in Publication data
Hablitzel, William E.
Dying was the best thing that ever happened to me: stories of healing and
wisdom along lifes journey / William E. Hablitzel.
p. cm.
LCCN 2005937062
1. Physician and patientAnecdotes. 2. MedicineAnecdotes.
3. Spiritual life. I. Title.
R727.3.H3122 2006 610.696
QBI05-600202

ISBN 10: 0-9772185-8-9
ISBN 13: 978-0-9772185-8-5

First Edition
Printed in the United States of America

09 08 07 06 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Caroline, who helped me see a different path upon which to walk.
To Ken and Kathy, who shared their path with me.
And to my father, for shining light upon the way.

hroughout my life, Ive considered books to be some of my closest friends, strange as that may seem. In moments of great distress, I have found myself reaching for a book and opening it to a pageany pageto start reading. There is a magical, mystical quality to a good book. It gives you an opportunity to listen to the author speak to you personally and share with you whatever seems important. At the end of your reading, you may even think of the author as a teacher, a mentor, a guide, or even more important, an old friend who shares wisdom and insight.

When I received a copy of Dr. William Hablitzels manuscript, Dying Was the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me , I decided that I was going to look at it as soon as I got a chance. Now, you must understand that I get tons of books from people who want me to read their manuscripts and make a comment. Much as Id love to, I would be spending my every waking moment reading if I did that. But once in a while, once in a long, long while, a certain book grabs me by the throat and will not let me go until I decide to sit down and read it immediately.

So it was with Bills book. The haunting title and the urge to find out what it meant combined to make me put aside all my other time commitments and to start reading. And that was the beginning of a whole new, glorious adventure. I kept reading and could not stop until the early hours of the morning when I had turned the last page. There was a sense of freedom and hope, coupled with a slight sadness. The sense of freedom and hope came from what I read in the book; the sadness was because I had come to the end and there was no more to be read. Any author who can do that to a reader is a master of the art and science of writing.

In his book, Bill combines his experience as a great physician and teacher with rare wisdom and insight to create a brilliant guide for life and living. And he does this with beautiful, yet simple, words. Many of my good friends are physicians so I am used to their complex ways of writing way above the head of the common person. Not so with Bill, the author, and Bill, the doctor. Somehow the two blend into one as words of comfort, hope, and mystery flow onto paper.

This book brings new meaning to the words dying and living . The stories told here are true and came from Bills special experiences as a physician who has seen much and who wanted to make a difference in his corner of the universe. There is a great temptation for me to tell you a bit about the stories in this book. But I will refrain from doing so. I do not want to deprive you, the reader, of the pleasure of discovery as you go through the pages. After all, I was privileged to explore and discover for myself the beauty and wisdom, the joy and sadness, the mystery and the magic of this special book.

The late great Dr. Elisabeth Kbler-Ross, author of the classic book On Death and Dying , was a very close friend of mine. I was the vice president of the Elisabeth Kbler-Ross Center for a number of years until her retirement. Many an evening, after dinner, we would sit in her living room and discuss the meaning of life, death, and the afterlife. Sometimes, those discussions would go very late into the night, and they were always exciting and learningful. I would never presume to say that I know exactly what she would have thought about this book, but since I knew her so well, I cannot help but think that she would have smiled and said, What a wonderful book! It should be read by every inhabitant of this planet.

Do not only buy this book for yourself. Get a copy for someone near and dear to you. Youll be glad you did. Keep your copy in a safe place and read it often. Beware of lending it to others because, I assure you, the chances of having it returned are slim. Youll want to return again and again to the moving, true stories that are contained within.

Thank you, Bill. Thank you for sharing this wonderful work with all of us. Thank you for showing us the compassionate heart of a true doctor. I must warn you, however, that after your readers complete this volume, they will clamor for more and you might find yourself in the middle of a sequel to further the insights youve provided here. I, for one, will keep pestering you until you sit down and write morehopefully, many morebooks like this one.

John Harricharan

Award-winning author of When You Can Walk on Water, Take the Boat

www.Insight2000.com

here are moments in life powerful enough to change us instantly and forever. Far too often, though, these special moments come when we are not present to notice, lost in the dramas of yesterday or our plans for tomorrow. Perhaps wisdom is living the richness that each day offers, being present to recognize those moments with the power to transform us, and seizing them before they can slip away into the currents of time.

We live in a complicated and confusing world. We struggle to understand natural disasters of unprecedented scale, unimaginable human cruelty carried out in the name of religion, and vast plagues of want and scarcity. The newspapers that we read, the television that we watch, and the music that we listen to provides a bottomless well of fear and worry from which we are free to draw. Our days have become hectic, with too much to do and too little time to do it. We are so busy making a living that many of us, perhaps most of us, have forgotten how to live.

In those special moments, however, confusion can clear to understanding, fear can melt away to peace, and scarcity can turn into abundance. We can be touched by the realization that what we have long looked for has found us. Such is the power of the lives that surround us.

Physicians are entrusted within the lives of their patients, lives woven from the threads of spirituality, touched by the mysteries of the universe, and filled with stories to tell. These stories can teach the secrets of a life filled with meaning, of wisdom, and of extraordinary journeys. They are sacred lessons, far too precious to be hidden away in the sterility of the hospital and the coldness of the examination room. They are lessons that teach of a miraculous place and shine light on the path that will take us there.