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In reply to the discussion: I want to thank you folks for the overwhelming kindness you have shown me today. (Edit) [View all]A HERETIC I AM
(24,370 posts)I just left her bedside a half hour ago - they removed the respirator yesterday afternoon and have moved her from the ICU to a regular room one floor down.
She was breathing on her own but she is gone. No reaction whatsoever to touch of any kind. I kissed her forehead and cheek, I touched her eyelids and there was no movement at all. As I said in my OP, there is nothing left to do but keep her as comfortable as possible and wait.
She will be moved from the hospital to the Hospice facility nearby as soon as a room becomes available.
Again, and again, I can not tell you all - the entire DU community, how much the monumentous outpouring of affection, caring and support has meant to me.
I have always been the kind of person that didn't have a large circle of friends but a small circle of very close ones. So this and the thread put up by Chris (CherokeeProgressive) have absolutely overwhelmed me. I know I can be a rather large prick at times on this board (and for that, I apologize....but I probably won't change!!) and I know that rubs the wrong way with many of you. But I will have been a member here for 11 years the first week of August and I must say this is the longest relationship I have had outside my family in my entire life, jobs and lovers included.
DU has it's fair share of detractors and disgruntled former members, and that is understandable, but for me, it has never ceased to be an amusing, frustrating, joyous, hilarious, agonizing and incredibly informative collection of chuckleheads!
And my affection for you all has never been greater.
I have to get back to Jax today and back to work. The bills won't stop while I grieve.
I want to leave you with this, cut and pasted from a post in Chris's thread I put up yesterday;
I've had the following thought for many years and this gives me comfort;
Consider a still, mill pond.
A mill pond with no shoreline
A pond stretching to infinity.
Toss a pebble into the center
Ripples are formed in a perfect circle
spreading outward, ever outward.
Science and Newtons laws say
that the waves will never cease to be,
just slowly diminish in strength.
But they go on forever.
We are all that pebble
And the pond is the universe which gave birth to us.
We return to it and become part of it again.
My mothers ripples have just begun their everlasting outward spread
and her essence affects the entire pond
just as we all do
I'm content to be a pebble.
Thank you DU, from the bottom of my ever so undeserving heart.