In patients' homes, we learned firsthand the importance of witnessing the emotions, truths, and reminiscences of the one who is dying. The witness is much more than an active listener whose mind is running fast in the processes of thinking, analyzing, and judging. The person who is dying needs someone who will listen without judgment to all that is uncovered at this time, accepting all that is said. The storyteller may not be speaking in words, as with the small child or one who is in coma, but all who are passing between worlds need to be witnessed. Witnessing is the expression of our interconnectedness, and stories are threads from the soul that are woven between us. When we are witnessed, it becomes safe for us to pass on because we have felt the connection, soul to soul, and it is also safe for the witnesses to let go. When there is no witness, there are no stories -- the process of storytelling includes the witness. And if there are no stories there are no manifestations of soul, because stories are about the soul.