Yesterday (Wednesday) roved less than peaceful
Mom's breathing grew more agitated
When she insisted that oxygen, sitting in readiness to
Provide relief was unnecessary, she was given
A low dose of morphine to calm her physical unrest, because
She'd longed to sleep, but could not
Then, upon breathing more peacefully
Sleep she did, holding my hand for a two hour span, while
I lay close to her on the double bed she'd shared with my dad
Thank goodness, intuition cautioned me to fly in when
My sister said that Mom's state of being
Had changed, dramatically, from when I'd flown in, two weeks ago
Later, when hospice came to check up on Mom
I followed the compassionate presence of Karine out of
The front door of mom's apartment, into the hall, where
I asked what she, who sees this, every day, considers
Signs, indicating that the end is near
When I expressed my need to be here and at home and then
Went on to explain that Steven was concerned about
Waiting till next week to fly in
Of course, Karine's offered a 'guess-timated' response:
When a person, who has been steadily failing feels 'ready', as
Your mom has indicated, but the heart is strong, the process of
Release from this life can take weeks, even months
So what we look for are changes such as these:
The person stops eating, does not want company and sleeps
Pretty much around the clock ... Of course, all of that changes if
An incident occurs, like a blood clot, causing a heart attack, stroke
Or ruptured vessel, resulting in a fatal bleed (as with my dad)
Though nothing had changed, except that I felt better informed
These details offered my sense of confusion reason to lessen, so
When I spoke to Steven, and shared Karine's
Experienced perceptions with my son
I felt grounded while offering detailed information, which
Helped his think tank to decide whether to
Fly in, next week, as planned, or come now
Once again, life is a gamble with no guarantees ...
When relating stories, details prove vital in this way:
If a story teller deletes one vital detail
A listener's mind may draw the wrong conclusions by
Filling in the blank with information based in
Conjecture rather than fact
If you ask why that happens, I'd reply:
One portion of the brain is wired to do that very thing
That part of the brain is known as imagination
And depending upon your attitude, your imagination
May lighten or darken a story while filling in the blanks
Later, if a missing, vital detail is revealed
The listener's mind may feel
Dazed, confused and in need of review
When two vital details are missing
The story 'heard' may not resemble
The true story, at all
If you'd like to know the true story of
My first date in its entirety
Please tune in tomorrow ... because
Today, while I'm still in town
Lauren and I ... believing that two heads working as one
May provide each other with a sense of solace while
We make our way through
A serious emotional dilemma that's arisen ...
Have need to put a plan in action:
In hopes of easing our way through this dilemma
We've made a date to meet with
The funeral director, who fortunately is Lauren's friend
Hopefully, this compassionate professional will offer us
Knowledgable guidance as
My sister and I move through a decision-making process that
Would prove exceptionally difficult if either of us forgot that
Supporting each other through heart wrenching times with
A sense of peaceful togetherness intact is our primary goal ....
It's during life's most trying times
That I feel so fortunate to feel lovingly supported by
Dear, life long friends, each time
I fly to the Midwest to be with Mom, and then
My good fortune continues upon arriving home, where
Heartfelt support buoys Will's spirit and
Mine in the desert, where love inspires my smile to brighten
Like a beam of sunshine, flashing through an azure, blue sky ...
You know which sky I mean ...
The one my blue-eyed dad had loved so well ...
Last thought for today ... A detail that merits consideration:
Once my heart opens to welcome another ...
I love, deeply, forever and ever ...
And maybe even longer than that ...
Mom's breathing grew more agitated
When she insisted that oxygen, sitting in readiness to
Provide relief was unnecessary, she was given
A low dose of morphine to calm her physical unrest, because
She'd longed to sleep, but could not
Then, upon breathing more peacefully
Sleep she did, holding my hand for a two hour span, while
I lay close to her on the double bed she'd shared with my dad
Thank goodness, intuition cautioned me to fly in when
My sister said that Mom's state of being
Had changed, dramatically, from when I'd flown in, two weeks ago
Later, when hospice came to check up on Mom
I followed the compassionate presence of Karine out of
The front door of mom's apartment, into the hall, where
I asked what she, who sees this, every day, considers
Signs, indicating that the end is near
When I expressed my need to be here and at home and then
Went on to explain that Steven was concerned about
Waiting till next week to fly in
Of course, Karine's offered a 'guess-timated' response:
When a person, who has been steadily failing feels 'ready', as
Your mom has indicated, but the heart is strong, the process of
Release from this life can take weeks, even months
So what we look for are changes such as these:
The person stops eating, does not want company and sleeps
Pretty much around the clock ... Of course, all of that changes if
An incident occurs, like a blood clot, causing a heart attack, stroke
Or ruptured vessel, resulting in a fatal bleed (as with my dad)
Though nothing had changed, except that I felt better informed
These details offered my sense of confusion reason to lessen, so
When I spoke to Steven, and shared Karine's
Experienced perceptions with my son
I felt grounded while offering detailed information, which
Helped his think tank to decide whether to
Fly in, next week, as planned, or come now
Once again, life is a gamble with no guarantees ...
When relating stories, details prove vital in this way:
If a story teller deletes one vital detail
A listener's mind may draw the wrong conclusions by
Filling in the blank with information based in
Conjecture rather than fact
If you ask why that happens, I'd reply:
One portion of the brain is wired to do that very thing
That part of the brain is known as imagination
And depending upon your attitude, your imagination
May lighten or darken a story while filling in the blanks
Later, if a missing, vital detail is revealed
The listener's mind may feel
Dazed, confused and in need of review
When two vital details are missing
The story 'heard' may not resemble
The true story, at all
If you'd like to know the true story of
My first date in its entirety
Please tune in tomorrow ... because
Today, while I'm still in town
Lauren and I ... believing that two heads working as one
May provide each other with a sense of solace while
We make our way through
A serious emotional dilemma that's arisen ...
Have need to put a plan in action:
In hopes of easing our way through this dilemma
We've made a date to meet with
The funeral director, who fortunately is Lauren's friend
Hopefully, this compassionate professional will offer us
Knowledgable guidance as
My sister and I move through a decision-making process that
Would prove exceptionally difficult if either of us forgot that
Supporting each other through heart wrenching times with
A sense of peaceful togetherness intact is our primary goal ....
It's during life's most trying times
That I feel so fortunate to feel lovingly supported by
Dear, life long friends, each time
I fly to the Midwest to be with Mom, and then
My good fortune continues upon arriving home, where
Heartfelt support buoys Will's spirit and
Mine in the desert, where love inspires my smile to brighten
Like a beam of sunshine, flashing through an azure, blue sky ...
You know which sky I mean ...
The one my blue-eyed dad had loved so well ...
Last thought for today ... A detail that merits consideration:
Once my heart opens to welcome another ...
I love, deeply, forever and ever ...
And maybe even longer than that ...
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