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Sue Erikson Bloland has given us a wonderful gift. In “When Jon was ready to die,” she demonstrates the kind of love and compassion for her brother that brings joy and wonder to the reader, and to herself.
She helps Jon with the most difficult decision anyone can make. She helps him end his life because that’s what he wants. Throughout Sue’s writing, we are privileged to witness the creation of a close, uncritical and accepting relationship with Jon: a most intimate one. In her essay, Sue shows us how to love: by listening to her brother, by seeing his suffering, by accepting his wish to end his life without judgment. Her piece is not only about death and dying. It is filled with laughter and joy.
During the time Sue has with her brother, her heart expands, and her compassion deepens. Her brother was a loner, whose most significant relationship was with nature. Gesturing to the natural world outside his window, Jon remarks, “That’s my relationship.”
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Clem Loew is co-founder and board director of the National Institute for the Psychotherapies (NIP); author of Dream Interpretation with James Fosshage, Ph.D., and When the Birds Stopped Singing (nonfiction). He is faculty and Supervisor at NIP, and co-Director of the Supervisory Training Program. He maintains a private practice in New York City.