Friday, March 11th, 2011
There are two things you can always count on, death and taxes. So like it or not, death is a part of life.
As I’m writing this, my Mom is laying in an ICU bed due to her congestive heart failure-CHF- (she is doing much better than she was when she was admitted last night). She gave my sister, Mary Dee, my husband Joe and I quite a scare. Of course she waits until late at night to call the very expensive “taxi” to take her to the hospital. God forbid she should do it at a reasonable time! We were there for quite a while before a bunch of tests were run. “Thankfully” I’m unemployed and was able to sleep in, but Mimi and Joe well, not so much. She was having heart attack like symptoms, which scared the hell out of us, but alas it was a bad CHF attack. The diagnoses was still wasn’t what one wants to hear but nothin’ you can do about it besides pray.
Friday, May 22nd, 2011
Don’t tell Dr. Art (my former therapist)
Doctor Art doesn’t believe people should believe in signs, especially crazy folks like me.
Shortly after my Father died, I went to the cemetery and as I was leaving I noticed a beautiful deer by the road. He was just standing there not more than 15 feet away from me surrounded by headstones. I stopped and we just watched at each other. It was at that moment I knew that my Dad was presenting himself to me as a deer.
Several years ago we were coming home from Houghton when a deer literally ran into our station wagon before he scampered off into the woods. Thankfully it happened near my sister Vicky and brother-in-law Bill’s house in Keweenaw Bay.
I don’t know about you, but we always seem to have a good car and a crappy car (until we win the lotto that is). As you have probably guessed by now, he hit the good car. We realized that we needed two reliable vehicles, as we were both working, and the van (crappy car) couldn’t even make a trip up to Houghton.
To me this was my Dad’s way of saying stop putting good money after bad into the van and buy a newer vehicle already! As it would happen, we found our Escape before they were the ‘in’ thing and the prices went up.
I know nothing about vehicles (as does my loving husband Joe) and I would always bring them to my Dad to check them out. He never steered me wrong – pardon the pun. My brother Joe and nephew Jesse are now our official vehicle checkers.
Yet another sign
On September 3rd 1999 I was getting ready for work and I heard a huge thud. I didn’t think it was Joe because he was in the other room so I yelled for him. Joe looked out the bedroom window and noticed a baby hawk lying on the ground. When he went
outside to check on it but it had already died.
Neither of us gave it a second thought that is until late that night. We found out that Jim (Joe’s Dad) had had a heart attack and was in the hospital. We rushed there but it was too late.
A few days later we were outside the church before the service and I saw a hawk flying over the church. Needless to say, between tears I showed Joe and yes, more tears but there was also a feeling of peace knowing that it was his way of showing us that he will always be with us even after death.
Just a note
We’ve lived in our house for more than 14 years and have never had that happen before or since – apparently that hawk was the only bird that wanted to come inside and take a look.
This is ok to tell Dr. Art
I spend too much time worrying about my Mother and I have for years. We’ve spent a lotta money and I’ve spent a lot of time lying on a couch discussing how to handle her declining health and her eventual passing.
One day I asked Dr. Art what I should do, instead of worrying about her death. He told me “to mourn her death the day she dies”. And I did repeat that to myself a million times until about a year or so ago. I’ve decided I’m not going to mourn her death, I will celebrate her life. Being a wonderful Mother to 8 children, a grandmother as well as great-grandmother to the always growing Manning clan. Celebrate the wonderful, creative, compassionate, sensitive woman she is. I can honestly say that I only remember hearing her swear once in my life – and don’t swear around her or she’ll get the Fells-Naptha out - just ask my brothers, she knows how to use it too.
Perhaps it is easier to celebrate someone’s life if they actually had lived a long life. Life is a precious gift to us. Stop and smell those proverbial roses and thank God for every day He has blessed you with.
Here’s what prompted me to start writing this LIL after 2 months
Saturday is my day to go over and clean at Ma’s. Yesterday I ended up ‘cleaning’ something you’d never dream of in a million years. Yep, a bird hit her patio window and was lying on the patio dead.
I took pictures of it “to identify” (even though she loves birds and is never far away from her bird identification book) what type of bird it is. When I showed Joe he, well, reacted exactly as I did. I bet I don’t have to tell ya it wasn’t a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Mom obviously didn’t die but I held my breath on Sunday when I called to check on her.
When Ma would rebounded earlier this year from CHF and a very serious infection, I would tell people that she is one tough old bird – not to her face – okay sometimes to her face (and I’d get that look from her).
We do not know when our name is written in His book. We should enjoy everyday, every moment as if it was our last. Take the time to tell your loved ones that you love them, even if you haven’t said that in a very long time.
After all, when someone dies they truly go to a better place, better than we could ever imagine.
No comments:
Post a Comment