Where Angels Walk, by Joan Wester Anderson, Nov 11, 2011

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November 16, 2011

Hello, friends. Here’s our regular weekly mailing:

Unless you live in a cave, you know that Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and the man who transformed consumer technology, died on October 5th at the age of 56. He had fought cancer in recent years and received a liver transplant in 2009. In August he stepped down as Apple’s chief executive, looking frail despite his unending effort to maintain his enthusiasm for life, but his death still came as a shock to many in Silicon Valley and across the world.

As with any beloved person, the special people in Jobs’ life were with him at the end—his wife, four children, his sister, his biographer and several close friends. There was another element to his final day, however, that perhaps was a parting gift to those left behind.

Steve Jobs was a Catholic until he entered college and became interested in Eastern religions. He dropped out of college, took a trip to India to find enlightenment, and returned a Zen Buddhist, with the appreciation for simplicity that would influence his decisions at Apple.

The interesting part of this was that later, after his cancer diagnosis, Jobs seemed to turn away from Eastern-based faith, and professed a new-found uncertainty as to whether or not God exists. “I’m about 50-50 on believing in God,” he told his biographer. “I really want to believe that something survives, that maybe your consciousness endures.”

Then came the last day, when Jobs went in and out of awareness, gazing at his loved ones, falling asleep and waking again, with longer intervals between. Then, as his sister recently revealed, a few hours before his departure, Steve awakened for the last time. He was looking towards the middle of the room when everyone heard him say, “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.”

As we angel-believers know, final words and/or visions are not unusual. This happening, however, seems extra special, 1) because Jobs was so famous as a man of science, and 2) because toward the end of his life he was seeking spiritual answers—and not only found them, but passed them along to witnesses.

Just something to think about. See you next week with a fun video to share.