Birth and death are the only two universal experiences in the human condition. Most cultures have known and embraced this for centuries. Right now, however, Western thought too often views death as a failure. We are a culture of problem solvers and we tend to think of death as a moment when health failed or doctors failed or the body failed. Real death is an experience that’s hidden from the young, or glossed over with euphemisms that only serve to confuse or frighten children more. Death is not talked about nearly enough in our society. Consequently, most of us are woefully unprepared when a loved one dies. From the emotions to the logistics to the recognition of the signposts of the process, we could all use some instruction. Barbara Karnes is a Registered Nurse and author who noticed, after her experience at the bedside of hundreds of people before they died, that each death she witnessed was following an almost identical script. Each person was going through the same thing. And most families had the same questions. It was after these realizations that Barbara sat down and wrote the Little Blue Book that changed an industry. Gone From My Sight, which takes its name from the poem to which it alludes, has been in print continuously since 1985 and has sold over 40 million copies. It has been co-opted and copied and imitated even as Barbara Karnes continues to publish and travel the world giving lectures. It is the original source. Barbara Karnes has dedicated the last 40 years of her life to the education, care and comforting of dying people and their loved ones, and the most useful things she’s learned along the way have been distilled into her books.
