http://m.dailygood.org/story/2236/the-joy-of-being-a-woman-in-her-seventies-.... 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@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@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@lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
With Respect, Jim Wiegel _______________________________________________ Dialogue mailing list Dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net
_______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE@lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net
_______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE@lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net