{"id":202,"date":"2012-09-28T09:40:57","date_gmt":"2012-09-28T13:40:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/truthsyoucanuse\/?p=202"},"modified":"2012-12-30T16:04:56","modified_gmt":"2012-12-30T21:04:56","slug":"the-secret-to-life-after-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truthsyoucanuse\/2012\/09\/the-secret-to-life-after-death.html","title":{"rendered":"The Secret to Life After Death"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAt times,\u201d wrote Hans Zinnsser \u201cthe dead are closer to us than the living, and the wisdom and affection of the past stretch blessing hands over our lives, projecting a guardian care out of the shadows and helping us over hard places.\u201d Last month we were are reminded of this truth by an extraordinary man and tragic ending .This man, Donald Liu, was a pediatric surgeon at University of Chicago.<\/p>\n

In early August Dr. Liu was at a beach with his family in Berrien County on Lake Michigan when he saw two children fall out of a kayak. He went out to rescue them. He succeeded in helping them get above water. As he did so, he got caught in the undertow. He drowned. Both children lived.<\/p>\n

A Chinese Jewish Doctor<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a rabbi, I had a particular interest in Dr. Liu. Born in Shanghai, he came to the United States and converted to Judaism upon marriage to his wife Dana. The family had just returned earlier in the month from Shanghai, where they celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of their oldest daughter Geneviece. He also had a 10 year old son Asher and seven-year old daughter Amelie.<\/p>\n

Dr. Liu\u2019s extraordinary impact was noted by colleagues and friends, who called him a brilliant surgeon and compassionate physician. One of his colleague described him as \u201ca world-class pediatric surgeon who made innovations and advancements in minimally invasive surgery for children and cared for trauma victims.”<\/p>\n

What struck me most, however, was an article his oldest daughter Genevieve wrote for the Jewish newspaper, The Forward. It testifies to what we would call in Jewish tradition Dr. Liu\u2019s ethical will, the way he is remembered and honored by his children.<\/p>\n

An Ethical Will<\/strong><\/p>\n

Genevieve wrote, \u201cMy father passed away as he was saving two drowning children in Lake Michigan. The tragedy was shocking and devastating, but in some ways it was not out of character, because he died being the savior that he was when he was alive, saving hundreds of thousands of kids from life-threatening diseases through his discoveries and surgical brilliance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, he was the best father anyone could ask for. For example, he sent me to a very expensive camp for four weeks, only to drive there four days later to make sure I was okay. He brought me home that same day and did not make me feel shame or embarrassment. (Not to mention the camp was a 9.5-hour drive there and back.)\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI still remember on my bat mitzvah day, the way dad approached the bimah. He put his arm around my shoulders. \u2018Genevieve,\u2019 he said, his eyes teary and his nose stuffy, \u2018you taught me eternal love, and I have a story for you: There was a time when one of my greatest mentors was dying. He sat me down and told me: \u2018Don I\u2019m dying, I need you to do one thing for me.\u2019 Being the young resident that I was, I anxiously nodded my head like his little puppy dog.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Anything, anything,\u2019 I said. \u2018Please,\u2019 he asked, \u2018take this letter and put it in the Wailing Wall for me.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI took the letter, and a month later, your mom and I went to Israel to put the letter in the Wailing Wall, but I was always curious what it said, so I opened the letter.”<\/p>\n

The Meaning of Life<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\n“It said two things, the first something along the lines of, \u2018I hope my children are successful in life,\u2019 which all parents hope for, and the second that \u2018I pray that my children know that I love them.\u2019 That\u2019s what I always want my children to know, that I will always love each one of them eternally.\u201d He gave me a big fat kiss and a tight squeeze and left the pulpit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat devastates me the most is the fact that some people are so great, so much bigger than all of us, that we can have them in our lives for only so long. I feel as if it should be the other way around: Some people are so great, they should live forever.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a hard fact to accept, but in some ways \u2014 actually in all ways \u2014 my father cheated death. He will live eternally through his memory and his model for living.\u201d<\/p>\n

Genevieve\u2019s poignant words echo an ancient Jewish teaching. In the death, the sages taught, the righteous are called living. How is this possible? Even after they\u2019ve died, we continue to measure ourselves by their standards. We try to live up to their ideals. We strive to fulfill the promises they made to the world.<\/p>\n

By\u00a0Evan Moffic<\/a>,<\/p>\n

GET YOUR FREE EBOOK: HOW TO FORGIVE EVEN WHEN IT HURTS.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cAt times,\u201d wrote Hans Zinnsser \u201cthe dead are closer to us than the living, and the wisdom and affection of the past stretch blessing hands over our lives, projecting a guardian care out of the shadows and helping us over hard places.\u201d Last month we were are reminded of this truth by an extraordinary man…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[97,99,96,98,100],"class_list":["post-202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-donald-liu","tag-drowning","tag-ethical-will","tag-medicine","tag-righteous"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Secret to Life After Death - Truths You Can Use<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Secret to Life After Death - 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