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

Thu Jan 9 21:09:02 PST 2020

Thanks Judi, we are struggling through another very hot day with various fires at ‘watch and act’ stage in NSW and Victoria. 
The monsoon season has begun in the North  west of Australia. This may probably bring some moisture to us in the South east, by and by.
We are grateful for all the international firefighters who have come down here, so thank you to yours !👏👏🐨🌏🌠
Our summer will be long and different now. 
Greetings and love,
Isobel Bishop 

Sent from my iPhone

> On 10 Jan 2020, at 3:45 pm, Dawn Collins via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
> 
>  Birthday Witness
> 
> Capturing the moments spent tending to mom during her final transition, I find I owned my death...
> 
> At 92 on August 15, 2015, mom rode the train to glory after being unconscious for several days before her demise. She spent her last days at home cared for 24/7 by my younger sister, Janet, my oldest daughter, Traci and myself. Since Traci and Jan worked, I was with mom for greater stints of time.
> 
> Mom received the word from her heart specialist in the hospital after suffering a second stroke and heart attack. He relayed to her that the medicine he was prescribing would only temporarily prolong her life and to get her affairs in order. "You know what  that  means?" "Yes", she replied, I'm going to die soon." I still have her hospital lunch menu from March of that year. 
> 
> We watched the movie (cartoon), Brave on the mounted TV together and I commented from time to time as we silently joined in viewing the entire film. (I saw the cartoon, Frozen earlier and like Brave better).
> 
> After her release to home, we tended her body and spirit with certain duties being given to the three of us. I was helping her with breakfast when she suddenly upchucked a bit and went to sleep. She was breathing markedly and her right side was paralyzed. I crawled in behind her on the bed and rested a bit while listening to her breaths filling the room.
> 
> I received the call at my home that mom's last breath was at 3 a.m. that August morn.   And the three of us gathered together and so began the mourning and practical preparations for what had become her journey's end.
> 
> And now approaching my 80th year I'm conscious of the ashes I was apportioned in a small urn on my altar, and mark the times I pause and  fill the moment with a desire to call her on the phone or share with the family the remembrance of that precious soul with, "As granny used to say." 
> 
> I wonder, will I be remembered thusly in a moment of shared humor or soberness?
> 
> Kindfully yours,
> 
> dawn
> 
> 
> We love the Creator/Source/Spirit because the Final Reality loved us first.
> 1 John 4:19
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Wednesday, January 8, 2020, 08:08:56 PM MST, isobeljimbish--- via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Thank you Del and all of you who have emailed and Fb us. 
> The country is on fire indeed. 
> We hope that leadership will prevail and that those former Fire Commissioners who asked to meet the Prime Minister in  March last year, to discuss preparations for what conflagration they predicted was coming in the summer- that now he and his colleagues will listen, at last. 
> Another positive outcome I believe,  is that the First Peoples will have a platform to share their own skills and fire management strategies, thousands of years old. Already their wisdom is being sought. 
> I live with hope in my heart that these two drives forward will happen. 
> We do much appreciate your concern. 
> Thank you all.
> Grace and  peace  and love be yours,
> Isobel Bishop  
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 9 Jan 2020, at 10:43 am, Del Morrill via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
>> 
> 
> With these disastrous fires in Australia  our thoughts are often with our friends there, and more than a bit worried.
> Del (and Justin too)
>  
> From: OE <oe-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net> On Behalf Of isobeljimbish--- via OE
> Sent: Saturday, January 4, 2020 12:17 PM
> To: Judi White <sophiacircle at gmail.com>
> Cc: isobeljimbish at optusnet.com.au; Order Ecumenical Community <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] [Dialogue] Birthday Witness. Now the New York Times chimes in . ..
>  
> Thank you Judi for this reflection. 
> Yesterday Elaine Telford celebrated her 80th Birthday in style !
> Family and friends gathered with the vast network of people Elaine has touched with her extraordinary life.! I 
> A happy moment,  in the midst of our raging bush fires. 
> With love,
> Isobel Bishop 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On 5 Jan 2020, at 2:54 am, Judi White <sophiacircle at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 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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