Since that experience at the edge of eternity, I came back with a fresh new perspective on life in time. For me, I have been given what they call the proverbial second life. I now fully understand how frail human life is. You can get hit by a truck as you cross a street, a falling beam as you pass through a construction area, a stray bullet, or you can simply catch a virus...and in an instant you are gone forever. So what then?

Steven Johnson Syndrome (SJS) gave me a dress rehearsal for that unwanted moment. The process itself - of going, of separating the spirit from the body - is a very painful one, that is for sure. And that is why the prospect of death is always a scary one. The pain is very real, because by nature, the human body and the human soul are meant to be united to be one, something like the two sides of the same coin, although that is a poor comparison. The human soul permeates the body and gives it life. The soul, being spiritual, is not subject to death, it lives on separate from the body after the end of mortal life. And that is what will live on outside of time and into forever.

There is life after this, a life that has no ending. And, it can be a much better one than this. That is an understatement. It is the real deal, because once we pass on to the next life, that one will be forever. And here is the crux of the matter: will it be a forever of darkness, of torment and pain? Or will it be a forever of light, of spectacular beauty and indescribable joy? We do have a choice!