I sat with my sister-in-law, a woman in her forties, as she succumbed to uterine cancer. During this final transition, I fussed about trying to help, washing her face, giving her sips of water or a bit of Popsicle to clear the taste each time her body purged. She suddenly stood up from her La-Z-Boy. I rose to steady her but she barked at me impatiently, "Ab, you've got to let me go!"
She rearranged herself in her chair and cried out, "HELP me!" She wasn’t talking to me. Then she said "Okay" and paused with her eyes closed, “okay,” pause, “okay,” four times - each “okay” more calm, more determined than the last. And then she was gone. ‘Though her body still purged, I sensed the moment she left.
Showing posts with label beyond life as we know it. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beyond life as we know it. Show all posts
Friday, December 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Gitalongs: THE FIVE GIFTS OF THANK YOU
1. I notice that you did or said something that pleased me and that brings me joy.
2 I say “thank you” to you and that gives your kindness our shared recognition.
3. You receive a portion of my joy.
4. You experience the personal pleasure of having your gesture recognized.
5. We share together a happy interaction that adds to the balance of positive human energy available at that moment on the planet and in the universe.
The Five Gifts of Thank You by Abby Freeborn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. For permission to use contact randmxcentric@gmail.com
2 I say “thank you” to you and that gives your kindness our shared recognition.
3. You receive a portion of my joy.
4. You experience the personal pleasure of having your gesture recognized.
5. We share together a happy interaction that adds to the balance of positive human energy available at that moment on the planet and in the universe.
The Five Gifts of Thank You by Abby Freeborn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. For permission to use contact randmxcentric@gmail.com
Bread Crumbs: EDITORIAL BY ROBERT LOVE
Executive Editor of THE WEEK: The Best of the US and International Media; All You Need to Know About Everything That Matters, November 11, 2011, Volume 11, Issue 540, WWW.THEWEEK.COM
THE WEEK“Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.” These were Steve Jobs’ last words before he slipped the bonds of earth on October 5, 2011. We know this because we heard it from his sister, the writer, Mona Simpson, who was with him in his final hours and described them in an eloquent eulogy published this week in the New York Times (...). Like the rest of us, Simpson had no idea what Jobs was seeing when he uttered his last words, but she invites us to ponder their meaning in the context of his life. She speaks of her brother’s “capacity for wonderment,” and his last words seem apt and authentic for an enthusiast given to phrases like “insanely great.” It is tantalizing to think that in his final moments of consciousness, Jobs was privy to a wondrous vision of the other side. Maybe he beheld a beckoning mist, as Emily Dickinson did: “I must go in, the fog is rising.” Or the “shifting sands” seen by writer L.Frank Baum, who wished to cross over to the Land of Oz. Thomas Edison, to whom Jobs was often compared, said of his final destination, “It is very beautiful over there.”
We value last words for their honesty, their wit, their advice from eternity’s doorstep. Once in a while we get a grand summation, as we did from Errol Flynn: “I’ve had a hell of a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed every minute.” Or an adieu, per Lord Byron: Now I shall go to sleep. Good night.” George Harrison left us with five simple syllables: “Love one another.” Oh wow. In the end we will find out what Steve jobs was talking about. Meanwhile its somehow comforting to know that he was impressed.
THE WEEK“Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.” These were Steve Jobs’ last words before he slipped the bonds of earth on October 5, 2011. We know this because we heard it from his sister, the writer, Mona Simpson, who was with him in his final hours and described them in an eloquent eulogy published this week in the New York Times (...). Like the rest of us, Simpson had no idea what Jobs was seeing when he uttered his last words, but she invites us to ponder their meaning in the context of his life. She speaks of her brother’s “capacity for wonderment,” and his last words seem apt and authentic for an enthusiast given to phrases like “insanely great.” It is tantalizing to think that in his final moments of consciousness, Jobs was privy to a wondrous vision of the other side. Maybe he beheld a beckoning mist, as Emily Dickinson did: “I must go in, the fog is rising.” Or the “shifting sands” seen by writer L.Frank Baum, who wished to cross over to the Land of Oz. Thomas Edison, to whom Jobs was often compared, said of his final destination, “It is very beautiful over there.”
We value last words for their honesty, their wit, their advice from eternity’s doorstep. Once in a while we get a grand summation, as we did from Errol Flynn: “I’ve had a hell of a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed every minute.” Or an adieu, per Lord Byron: Now I shall go to sleep. Good night.” George Harrison left us with five simple syllables: “Love one another.” Oh wow. In the end we will find out what Steve jobs was talking about. Meanwhile its somehow comforting to know that he was impressed.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Bread Crumbs: ANY TIME YOU THINK OF ME
My friend Tommy had come home in the spring of his first year of college with blinding headaches. When I went to visit him, his Mom told me he had a brain tumor. I asked her if it could be removed and she replied that they were Christian Scientist and many were praying for his recovery.. I prayed too and visited every couple of weeks all summer. When I came home from college for Christmas break, I found him optimistic but so weakened that his main exercise was squeezing a tennis ball. He had pain medication but there would be no surgery. Back at college, I was busy and his Mom said he did not like to talk on the phone, so I stopped calling.
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