Drinking black coffee and thinking about life and death.
My best childhood friend's mother died last Friday night, in her sleep. She was 85 and her last couple of years were uncomfortable and inconvenient. For the last several weeks the only time she was able to leave the house at all was to go to dialysis 3 times a week, and that had to be by ambulance so she could lie flat. Throughout it all, she was her usual upbeat self who continued to take pleasure in the things left to her. Just one week before her death, my friend and I picked up lunch from a local restaurant and ate there at her house, along with my own mother. We've tried to keep up a practice of these luncheons every 3 months or so, and decided not to let the fact that she was house-bound stop us. We all had a fun afternoon filled with laughter and old stories. I'm very glad we didn't try to put it off until later, because there wouldn't have been a "later."
I spent a lot of my childhood in her house, and I loved her dearly. Last night I went to the visitation at the funeral home (that would be the wake to some of you, I think), and smiled to see that she will be buried with her bible in one hand and a pack of playing cards in the other. Her 10 year old great grandson wanted his granny to have the cards since for the last year that's what the 2 of them did together -- played cards.
She died peacefully in her sleep, knowing that she was surrounded by people who loved her. Really, can any of us ask for anything better than that? Rest in peace, Mrs. H. I love you.