Death and Dying

The memorial service for my mother was last Saturday afternoon. It may not have been the Lutheran service that she expected, but it was spiritual and thoughtful. Dr. Herrington read her biography, Nancy read a poem by Mary Oliver, Melissa read "The Wedding Day" (a story my mother had written) and Jean Merroux gave a spiritual, uplifting talk on death and dying.

I've had only a few moments of sadness, maybe because this day has been a long time coming. It was two and a half years ago that Melissa and I brought her out to Sarasota. The expectation was that she would only survive another six months. But, she surprised us all, and had a great life for another two and a half years. She made friends, moved into an apartment, took classes. And, I got to spend more time with her. More time than I ever had spent during my lifetime.

No regrets.