A Story from Anticipating Heaven That Still Brings Me to Tears

There’s a story I shared in Anticipating Heaven that I find myself returning to time and again — not because it is extraordinary, but because it is so profoundly human. A man named John, frail from the relentless advance of cancer, was nearing the end of his life. His wife held his hand as I sat quietly beside them, the silence in the room broken only by the rhythm of his breath. He was frightened — not just of death, but of the unknown. He had questions no one on this side of heaven could fully answer. But then something happened. John, who had barely spoken in days, opened his eyes, looked past me toward the corner of the room, and smiled — the kind of smile that tells you something sacred is unfolding. “Do you see them?” he whispered. “They’ve come.” He named loved ones who had already passed. And then, with a peace that filled the room like warm sunlight, he closed his eyes. He was not afraid anymore. I tell this story not to sensationalize death, but to offer what Anticipating Heaven was always meant to give: a lifeline of hope in a dying and scared world. So many of us are grieving — not just people, but the loss of certainty, of safety, of the way things used to be. And for those standing at the edge of mortality, the fear can feel unbearable. But friend, here is what I know to be true: death is not the end of the story. For those in Christ, it is a threshold. A doorway into a reality more real than this one. A place where every tear is wiped away, and fear no longer has a name. If you or someone you love is facing a terminal diagnosis, please know you are not alone. I wrote Anticipating Heaven for you — not as a theological textbook, but as a bedside companion. A voice in the dark that gently whispers, There is more. And if your heart is simply heavy with all that feels broken in this world, I invite you to lean in and read stories like John’s. They remind us that heaven is not a theory — it is a promise. A home. And it’s closer than we think.

With all my heart & here for you,
Dr. Pamela