June 21, 2010
Summer’s first official day – hot, humid, hungry mosquitos, and the 2 1/3 inches of rain last night still has the wetland in its river manifestation, with waters covering the paths to the bridges. On these rare occasions, we walk on the somewhat shorter paths on this side of the stream, circling our neighbor’s pond and coming back past the windmill and through the hedge of lilacs that stands nearby.
Last Saturday, Heidi, Zoie, Kira and I gathered up an old white sheet, a bucket, and an extending pole (normally used to change light bulbs in our high ceilings) for a mulberry picking adventure that replicated the experience I had when a child on the farm. We trekked over to a large tree which I had previously identified as one that created very fine product and while Heidi, Kira and I held on to the sheet and placed ourselves under a branch covered with ripe berries, Zoie whacked the tree with the long pole, causing a rain of fruit. This produced a wonderful volume, and was fine fun at the same time. We moved around the tree and gathered 3/4 of a large bucketful in a very short time. I imagined my mother and grandmother watching this continuation of something no longer commonly done and I could almost see them and hear their applause.
Several gifts made last week a fine one. First, the family visit, then the suggestion to the Blog about taking a certain medication for nausea. I followed up, and for the first time in weeks, I have had some improvement in the taste of food. Then, Janna gave me a wonderful book called “Living at the End of Life” by Karen Whitley Bell. The subtitle is “A Hospice Nurse Addresses the Most Common Questions”. She uses stories about her encounters to discuss such things as “I Wish I Had More Energy” or “What Will Happen? The Physical Journey” as well as giving all sorts of examples of family and caregivers and coping. I told Charles that he truly needs to read it also. One thing became apparent – I am not nearly where I’ll be before dying unless I run into some illness that takes advantage of the lack of immunities. (I gathered from the stories, that one will/can become terribly weak, bedfast, and finally, unconscious.) The stories about “eating” confirmed to me that my system is shutting down, and my present life experiences are common (lack of energy, pain, dreams, etc.). She repeatedly gave examples of how a person who has an evident terminal illness has choices. She emphasized the need for love and for living in the moment. She also dealt with the spiritual side of the subject quite competently. This is a timely book for us, and in my opinion, most helpful.
The next gift stands on the edge of the front yard; it’s the clematis that cries out “Look at me!” every time we walk past the windows. Last fall, Charles and John-paul put up a pole wrapped in chicken wire with hopes for a tower of flowers, and the clematis is delivering. As it grew, it literally sent its vines out from the arbor to reach for the pipe, a distance of about three and a half feet.
Summer is here – I am here. I am alive to greet another season and it is the best gift of all!