Aug. 30: 4 pm. Not much to report on this afternoon. Joe should come walking through the door any moment. Mom’s been sleeping peacefully for the last six hours. She had a period between 9 and 10 this morning when she was quite agitated and unhappy, but since that time, her breathing and snoring and body language conveys a sense of peace.
Photos from the day are in the gallery.
I crawled into Mom’s bed with her again this morning for a while. Mary Read was here and sat by Mom’s bedside until about noon. Her daughter, Katie, is getting married on Saturday, so she had to leave to return home. Terry came over in the late morning, and Maretta and Kyle also came at about noon. Maretta has knit about four feet of a shawl in the last week to help pass the time. It’s so long now that it covers her toes.
Bryan came again for lunch, and Maretta and Kyle stayed with Mom while Terry and Bryan and I went down to the beautiful cafeteria to have lunch. After lunch, we pretended for a while that it was just a normal, nice afternoon, and while Terry stayed with Mom, Maretta, Kyle, and I went to Carl’s Cakes to keep an appointment to test possible wedding cakes. They were yummy. My favorite was the lemon poppyseed.
When we returned to Hospice, Jack and my friend Anne were here, and so we got to visit with them and they got a chance to see and talk to mom.
This afternoon, Mom has been very peaceful, but her breathing continues to fluctuate between slow, easy sleep or snores and a more disturbing gasp between long moments of quiet.
4:45 pm. I’m on my way home here in a few minutes. Joe and Becky arrived pretty recently, and Maretta is going to stay at my place tonight. I think that we have several visitors expected this evening, and the plan is for Dad and Tom to spend the night here with Mom again.
It’s hard to see Mom seeming to lose her grip on life, but it’s much harder for me to see the affect that is having on all those who love her. I’ve received dozens of emails from people seconding the idea that Mom has been the center, the hub of a tremendous network of people. And we’re all hurting together as we prepare to say goodbye.
With love,
Althea