[Oe List ...] [Dialogue] Birthday Witness. Now the New York Times chimes in . ..

[Judi White]

http://m.dailygood.org/story/2236/the-joy-of-being-a-woman-in-her-seventies-mary-pipher/.
Yessterday was the funeral for a friend. She and I and five others in our
local social group reached 75 this year. She found out 3 months ago that
her days were incurably numbered. She prepared for yesterday in extensive
detail and spent all her remaining time loving being near her family. In
the one conversation I had with her she shared that she was at peace with
deeply acknowledging that the upcoming final moment is a natural
conclusion, from which she was not exempt. She also said that each day of
decline was presenting a new challenge for her to embrace. She said she was
grateful for these challenges which gave her an opportunity to ask her
resilience to support her. I imagine that she, a long time 5th grade
teacher, did not pass up one opportunity to role model and share her
perspective with her family as they remained close to her. The happiness
that she brought to their lives and ours reigned throughout yesterday's
celebration of Beverly Phillip's life now completed.

On Sat, Jan 4, 2020, 4:19 AM isobeljimbish--- via OE <
oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:

> Dear Randy,
> Thank you for this reflection. I appreciate it very much  as it occasioned
> me to remember how my Dad and I spent a month in preparation for his death.
> With love
> Isobel Bishop
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 4 Jan 2020, at 6:39 am, Randy Williams via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
> wrote:
>
> My mother died in March of 2001 at age 90. I spent every waking hour of
> her last five days with her. She was conscious and cognizant until about
> the last eight hours before she died. We had some incredible conversations
> on: What is death? What is it like to die? What will it be like after we
> die? I attribute the quality of the dialogue to, one, neither of us acted
> as if we actually knew the answers to the questions but we were both
> willing to struggle for some clarity. And two, neither of us tried to kid
> the other about the fact that she was dying. This freed us both up to share
> honestly and from the depths. I feel certain we both had our lives changed
> and our love for each other deepened during those five unforgettable last
> days for her. I would love to talk with a loved one about those same
> questions when my time nears.
> Randy
>
> On Jan 3, 2020, at 12:39 PM, James Wiegel via Dialogue <
> dialogue at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
>
> 
> https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/nyregion/ruth-willig-oldest-death.html?te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_NN_p_20200103&section=longRead?campaign_id=9&instance_id=14935&segment_id=20013&user_id=505cb1dd7896a746e64ebf529d31e095&regi_id=77723647ion=longRead
>
> With Respect,
> Jim Wiegel
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