#23: Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Not One, But Two, Moms on Hospice ...
Hi All -
I have several posts in draft, but life keeps throwing curveballs so they’ve not quite made it to you. The good news about curveballs is that I’m getting pretty good at catching them! But this latest one wasn’t expected, at least not now.
My mother-in-law entered hospice care last week. Both my mom and my husband’s mom are simultaneously in hospice and receiving palliative end-of-life care. We are heartsick by my MIL’s precipitous decline, but we are at peace. She is too.
Every life has a beginning and an end, but the dates remain a mystery until they come. Chris and I have both buried our fathers, all of our grandparents, and many extended family members, so we are somewhat seasoned in the business of loss, but losing the last parent feels different. It’s the end of an era and the closing of the longest chapters of our lives. We will become orphans of a sort. We have no children, we have each other.
I will share more as I get my head around our new reality, but, rest assured, our worldview thinking has played a leading role in how our moms are dying with dignity and how we are loving them our way, along the way.
Take care of your loved ones and please hug them repeatedly and for no reason at all … sharing human affection is never overrated!
Back soon …
Warmly,
Kelley
June 17, 2024