Many of you know that my widowed experience began with a call to my home phone from an unknown cell number, and the voice of a kind stranger telling me that my husband had been hit by a car. This week, I was privileged to sit bedside with my great uncle as he made his way from this life into the next. I witnessed his last rites, held the hand of his son as he struggled to say goodbye, and witnessed the love with which he was surrounded, right to the end of his life. Since my good-bye to Phil lasted such a short time, I wasnt called to be courageous in the way that caregivers of people fighting an illness are called to be. As I sat by my uncle, chatting, singing, and keeping a hand on him so hed feel my presence, I couldnt help but think of all of my widowed friends who bravely faced every doctors appointment, medication side effect, mobility challenge, and so many other things I cant imagine as they hoped for the best outcome for their beloved spouse or partner. I just wanted to remind all of you that loving someone until their last breath is an invaluable gift. To leave this world surrounded by the love of brave people who will face their own fears around death, their looming grief at the thought of a life without their loved one, and their helplessness in the face of an illness that is taking the life of someone they love so much...well, there arent words for how powerful that kind of love is in those final moments. To all my widowed friends who were called to this kind of love...you are my heroes.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 21:38:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015