Many friends and family in my generation have said the final goodbye to their parents by now. Its that time in our life.
My mother passed away at the very end of 2011. It took her a month to die and I sat by her side all that time. These are the posts I wrote during that very sad vigil. And because I wrote these words, she will always be there for me.
I hope these thoughts are helpful to those of you who read them. I know that writing them helped me get though a very difficult time.
Choices
But what kind of choices do we make in our lives? Are they the right choices? Were they really a choice.
The relay race
I’ve known four generations of my family now. They are like a part of a revolving relay race through time.
Fading
I am sitting in my mom’s room in a nursing home. It’s up to Nature now to decide how long it takes for her to fade.
Listing
Arthritis, Congestive heart failure, Senior diabetes, Edema, Vascular insufficiency, Pelvic fracture, Pneumonia, Kidney failure, The list goes on and on….
Bad News
My mother’s friend Marty leaves before her.
Good Shabbos
Joining the Friday evening service to welcome the Sabbath is healing and so is being welcomed into a community.
Chanukah
The holiday reminds us of the miracle of God’s light and I can celebrate it even with those far away from me.
Bright
The world around us can be either dark or bright. It all depends on how we choose to see it.
Days
We have no control over our days. We can only wait and see.
Resting at last
The waiting is over and now things must be done.
Mom
This is the eulogy I spoke at my mom’s funeral, remembering her life.
Lightning flashes and the movies
We keep our memories like classic films which we replay over and over again in our head.
The fuschia coat
We inherit many things from those who came before us. Today I am wearing my mother’s coat.