This morning when I got up at five, HP was sleeping peacefully. I now have an assortment of medications for whatever need seems to appear. No pain in the picture at all. His nurse tells me the very end stage has begun.
A steady stream of friends and neighbors have been stopping in to talk with him one more time, just for a few minutes each, and he is now too far away to respond, but I think he knows they're there, and knows their voices.
At this point it seems a good idea, since rl people are starting to ask me to make sure they know what events are planned, so they can attend, to explain that here as well as I have to them.
No real life event is planned at all. His wish was that there be no funeral,no gathering at all, and I'm honoring that wish. I know that in fact his idea was to spare me the stress of orchestrating it.
His wish, expressed many times in recent months, is that if you want to do something to honor him, plant daffodils in his honor, so that as they come up every year, he will be remembered. If that isn't possible, plant something simple that will come up year after year. Or give a donation in his name to any animal rescue of your choice, local to you.
My additional request, on my own behalf, is that blogistas who walk the labyrinth as part of their spiritual practice, please do a walk for us.
These are the things he and I would like. If you want to do any other gesture, flowers, notes to me, anything you really would like to do, please do, and accept my huge thanks for your generous support and friendship, too.
I have been thinking about putting some blooming things in the labyrinth and had in mind some bulbs this Fall. I hadn't decided WHICH bulbs, though. I will put daffodils in the corner of one of the wider turns.
ReplyDeleteIt is raining right now, but I will walk it with you in mind before this weekend is out.
Daffodils are always nice. An early reminder that spring will be here even if the winter seems never ending. The voles don't like them either.
ReplyDeletePeaceful wishes for you.
::::here with you and sending you love and peace::::
ReplyDeleteKathryn's mother passed away earlier this summer in a similar decline. Kathryn was with her for the last two months and it was both difficult and good.
I'm sending you every amount of love and care in the world in this time of transition.
As far as I know, daffodils don't grow where I live, so we will make a donation to one of our local animal rescue organizations.
ReplyDeleteSending love, sending peace.
I wish we were closer and could come to help. We are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely ideas Liz, daffodils and rescue organization are both near to my heart too.
ReplyDelete-anne-
Liz, I am with you... I often think of you and your beloved. You do such a great job of just being with him. I think you are so lucky that he can stay at home in his known surroundings and that he is painfree!
ReplyDeleteI understand the "no ceremonies", we even want our ashes under some trees in the woods which is possible at a few places over here.
I will plant daffodils in his honour!
Smiling at the daffodils ... my mother planted them for my little brother after he passed away. She'd plant them in places where they "shouldn't" have been (semi-urban wild spots) to be a surprise and joke for people when they came upon them during a stroll. From what I've come to know about HP, he'd have enjoyed the joke, too.
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