My husband died of cancer two years ago and during his last few days he couldn’t stand any light in the room. When he died I immediately opened the window so he could listen to the birdsong that he had loved so much and the sunlight flooded back in to the room. A few weeks later in a counselling session I told my counsellor what I had done and he smiled and told me that hospice nurses always open the window when their patients die to let their souls out of the room, a custom that goes back centuries. Now, no matter what the weather, I open the window on waking and say good morning to my much missed husband.
