23 Comments

Incredibly beautiful and emotional, Ben. I choked up a fair few times during this, which doesn't happen often when I'm reading/listening to something, so I'd say that's a fair metric or this episode's power.

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Wow, I will take that as high praise making an Englishman tear up. 😊

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Of***

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Same

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“She could hear the words, but they flitted about the room like sparrows, barely lighting on a surface then taking to the air before she could grasp them.”

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The action moving from Abigail’s bedside to her grieving brother’s anguish—that was beautifully done, Ben.

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Thank you, Ann.

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Death, the final frontier. As we face it, ourselves or with loved ones, issues that seemed so relevant fade away. Perhaps love is always there, but often obscured by the petty demands of day to day life.

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Yes, indeed. Well said, Chip. Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate you.

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Beautiful, Ben. Moving. You gave us the pieces—the aunt, Wild’s one last time taking care of his sister by opening her eyes, the light, all of it—so adeptly. I, too, was moved to tears.

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Aw, thank you, friend. I’m so happy this episode struck the right chord with you.

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This moved me to tears, partly because of the beautiful images and writing, and partly because it’s spot-on my experience holding my dad’s hand as he passed. This phrase, wow - “Teresa, stood at the foot of the bed speaking in a soft, loving language that the collection of atoms which once collaborated in the form of Abigail Thorn could understand but this new being could not.” The expansion of light is a gorgeous image that not only tracks with accounts of near-death in classics like “Embraced by the Light,” but my own epiphanic experience (a brief glimpse behind the veil). I love the peace in this, and that Wild had that moment of true understanding with his sister. So much love here.

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I’m so happy this episode felt authentic and moved you so. There is no higher compliment for me than having a writer as brilliant and tuned-in as you be moved to tears by anything I’ve written, especially on this subject. Thank you so much for always being here.

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I did some catch up last night while driving from St. Louis to Nashville. Your writing is so good Ben. The emotion, description, story telling…I’m thoroughly enjoying this work!

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Thank you so much, Brian. That means so much to me coming from you.

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Beautifully done, it brought tears to my eyes.

I am really enjoying listening to the audio, too, as opposed to just reading. You bring the characters and the story alive, even as they die.

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Hi Sara, thanks so much for the kind words. I'm so happy this episode touched you.

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Good grief, you packed some moving moments into this chapter Ben, I couldn’t stop the tears!

“A weary old man stopped at the edge of a driveway, the keys dropped from his hand to the gravel, and his chest expanded with cool autumn air. When he exhaled, the sound that came out was both a cry and a laugh that echoed that of a sister on a rainy day in the distant past just before she would suffer the greatest loss a mother could bear.”

The last paragraph was phenomenal…

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Oh no! Hopefully they were good tears. Thanks as always for the kind words, Susie. I spent a lot of time working up to this episode so I’m so happy it paid off. 🥲💜🙏

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Goodbye, Abby! Beautifully done, Ben - we're all misty over here. 🥲

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Thank you, Troy. 🙏💜

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Oof. Wasn't expecting this emotional hit today. Nicely done.

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Sorry… and thank you!

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