This afternoon, I learned that my next door neighbor's mom passed away yesterday, in her sleep at the age of one-hundred and one. My letter carrier, who had heard from another neighbor on her route, informed me. I stopped by my neighbor's house to offer my condolences my neighbor and to reassure her that she had done everything in the best fashion, with regard to her mother. How many people are fortunate enough to peacefully go to sleep in their beds at a ripe old age and to simply not wake up? My neighbor told me that her mom had had a complete loss of appetite for a few days, but that she refused to go to the hospital, having a dislike of such places. Sometimes, it seems, people just know when they want to go... I think my Uncle Jim was like that, he also passed away in his sleep after spending the night with family, on the eve of a session to be poked and prodded by a doctor.
Now is the time when my neighbor's family is gathering for the funeral. There's a lot of paperwork involved, and trips to the airport to pick up arrivals from distant places, and other mundane tasks. I told my neighbor to ring the doorbell if she needs any assistance. I may work nights, but I'm almost always able to drag myself to the door, especially considering that this is an occasion which demands neighborliness.
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7 comments:
in her sleep at the age of one-hundred and one
I would sign up for that now, as they say (esp. the in her sleep part) but then again, 101 is a looooong time.
That's a lot of time for blogging, old chum! Stay golden.
This sums up what neighbourliness is all about. Not much of it around these days, and yes I'm just as guilty as others I'm too 'British' don't like to impose.
How many people are fortunate enough to peacefully go to sleep in their beds at a ripe old age and to simply not wake up?
Even better is going peacefully to sleep in someone else's bed at a ripe old age and not waking up...
Another good reason to keep the postal service going.
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Bad, you aren't really "BAD" at all. I can't imagine how much history your neighbor experienced. She was smart enough to know not to engage with the Medical Complex. Wierdly, the other day, my Korean neighbor, who may or may not have had a stroke. (language barrier) was taken out of her house when neighbors noticed something awry, she didn't want any parts of the cops or the ambulance. She put up quite a fight and I wondered IF she did in fact have a stroke, did she just want to die in her home with her plants and watching the birds from her window when she left this mortal coil? There is indeed something to be said for passing away, in your own way. RIP to your neighbor and thank you for your heartfelt tribute. I am sorry for your loss.
They're lucky to have you as a neighbor. I had the unfortunate experience of taking my 93-year old Dad to the hospital, kicking and screaming to the best of his diminished ability, to find out that he was terminal. I then had the duty to tell the doctors I was taking him home to die. That was hard, but I'm glad I was there to do that for him. It's what he wanted but could no longer communicate.
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