"They're in a better place"

    Why do we say that? Every time we lose a patient that we have cared for through a lengthy illness and we lose the battle we always say, 'They're in a better place'. But are they really? You see as an atheist (because lets face it after all of the shit I have seen as a paramedic and now a nurse... how could you possibly believe) we don't believe in heaven and hell. So where exactly is it that they are supposed to be? People have asked me that all the time when they learn of my beliefs. My answer is that they are no longer suffering but that they are right that I don't think they have actually gone anywhere. So do we say it just to make ourselves feel better?

     I do believe that there is good and evil and that there are spirits that for whatever reason are trapped here on this earth. I don't however believe in organized religion or heaven or hell. For me there is karma. I truly believe that occasionally somehow we are placed in certain positions. There have been several patients that I have been placed in my care that I truly believe that I was the only nurse capable of providing the care needed. Whether it be because of my knowledge or skill or because of my ability to read and interact with my patients, I was the right nurse in the right place at the right time. 

    That being said.... "they're in a better place"