July 20, 2023
July 20, 2023
It was interesting, and prophetic, that a dear friend of mine, Mari, passed away on Monday, July 17th. It is interesting because before she died, she reminded me of my telling her of my dear, dear friend Barbara's calling me the day before she died to "say goodbye." And we did say more than "goodbye" to each other, as you can well imagine.
Mari was 98, almost 99, and she "arranged' with Hospice to ease her into leaving as peacefully and painlessly as possible should she be put into a situation where recuperation was a "ridiculous idea." So she called me when this "ridiculous situation" arrived to say goodbye, quoting Barbara! Since she was quite lucid, I said, "Let's talk a little later; I'll call you this afternoon."
And I did. But her daughter (as close to me as a sister) said, "She's sleeping, and having a lot of trouble breathing." We decided that Karen should put the phone to Mari's ear anyway, and I would say all the things to her that I wanted. I instructed her to answer if she heard me and try to move her lips. She emitted a short, low groan. She heard me!
Karen and I were elated! A short while later I heard some great news about a situation that Mari was giving another friend advice about just 4 days prior to this. I called Karen back and asked her to once again put the phone to Mari's ear. I told her of the good news and asked her to SMILE if she heard/understood. And guess what, in her "deep sleep" her mouth quivered into a smile and she emitted another soft, low groan! She heard me again!
This rather lengthy saga is remarkable because this is the 2nd time in 2 weeks that I have made verbal reference about Barbara, both times to people she didn't know, but both times talking about her as though she were right by my side!
I do this often, and I just assume Barbara is listening. I always will. Though physically not here, Barb is always with me in thought and spirit. And in my heart! I loved her dearly!
Judi Forrest
Mari was 98, almost 99, and she "arranged' with Hospice to ease her into leaving as peacefully and painlessly as possible should she be put into a situation where recuperation was a "ridiculous idea." So she called me when this "ridiculous situation" arrived to say goodbye, quoting Barbara! Since she was quite lucid, I said, "Let's talk a little later; I'll call you this afternoon."
And I did. But her daughter (as close to me as a sister) said, "She's sleeping, and having a lot of trouble breathing." We decided that Karen should put the phone to Mari's ear anyway, and I would say all the things to her that I wanted. I instructed her to answer if she heard me and try to move her lips. She emitted a short, low groan. She heard me!
Karen and I were elated! A short while later I heard some great news about a situation that Mari was giving another friend advice about just 4 days prior to this. I called Karen back and asked her to once again put the phone to Mari's ear. I told her of the good news and asked her to SMILE if she heard/understood. And guess what, in her "deep sleep" her mouth quivered into a smile and she emitted another soft, low groan! She heard me again!
This rather lengthy saga is remarkable because this is the 2nd time in 2 weeks that I have made verbal reference about Barbara, both times to people she didn't know, but both times talking about her as though she were right by my side!
I do this often, and I just assume Barbara is listening. I always will. Though physically not here, Barb is always with me in thought and spirit. And in my heart! I loved her dearly!
Judi Forrest