in case you're still LOST..."what happened, happened"

In trying to explain things to friends today about what happened on LOST last night, I've looked to other "losties" for articulate and concise explanations...here is the best one that I've found from a comment on one of the MANY discussion boards by loralinn1617:

"All of the "sideways" moments that were shown on the show were never part of the characters real lives but instead part of their purgatory. It was created by each and every one of the castaways as a way of finding their redemption through their experiences on the island. As they came together throughout the final episode in their created purgatory they could remember what they went through in their past on the island and as a result could help one another find their peace and move on into their afterlife. At the end when you see everyone in the church, they have all died at that point. Some had already died while on the island (Boone, Shannon, Jack) while others died after having escaped on the Ajira flight at the end. Those who had escaped in the final episode on the plane (Miles, Kate, Sawyer, etc.) went on to live their lives after leaving the island for the final time. It was only when they came to their own deaths that they found themselves in the purgatory with all the other castaways. They were the most important parts of one another's lives, that is why they were reunited to help one another find acceptance and move on. So I hope that helped you understand it a little better. Ultimatley not all of the questions were answered on LOST but that was so we could come to our own conclusions about some things."

I hope that helped folks! I was sad to see it end...but what a freakin' fantastic ending!