Our Mum has recently passed away after a very short illness. I don't share her deep faith and I can only wish that when my time comes and I am faced with my own demise, that I can be as gracious and positive as our Mum was. She was sure she was going to see Dad, so she was actually pretty happy!!!!???!!
Now for the humour, which Mum would have love to have read, as my biggest Blog fan. Mum did two hilarious thing in her final weeks. Now keep in mind, she was on heavy morphine, but she was f-u-n-n-y!!!!
First incident: Mum was worried that she would be keeping other residents of the care facility she was in, awake because she was a bit deaf and needed the TV up quite loud to be able to enjoy the actual dialogue. We bought her a headphone set, so she could have it as loud as she liked. One day, she had the headphones on and totally oblivious to the fact that she was the only one that could hear it, she proceeded to sing the opening theme music to 'Rawhide' at the top of her voice. All of it. Including the rather extended Raaaaawwwwwwhhhhhhiiiiiddddddddddeeeeee! It echoed up and down the hallways and only a few startled health care workers stuck their heads in to check she was okay! She can't have been that under the influence if she could remember all those complicated lyrics in perfect order!!!
Rollin' rollin' rollin', keep them all a rollin, Rawhide.......' click the link if you don't know it and want to understand and YES, that is a young Clint Eastwood!! This show must have been Hollywood GOLD in the 50s and 60s!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKC8pSFg1Vw&list=PLT9c-HDi2SiPBgz8Ehh7XwBWW_59Ru-XW
Second incident: (and just quietly, much funnier) Mum was talking to the Hospice staff about Dad being in Hospice and how, less than two years ago, he had quietly passed away after being in a coma for a few days and how his breathing had changed etc etc. The Hospice Nurse said that 'no two deaths are the same' and Mum (who obviously watches too much TV!!!) said to her that it was 'not like it is on TV'....... then Mum clutched her chest, did a lurch, gurgled, rolled, legs twitched, gasped and collapsed....arm falling to one side clearly DEAD! Then she giggled and looked up with a glint in her eye! She had just totally completed her own fake TV death!!! The Hospice Nurse looked like she was fit to burst, (because I guess it is not really appropriate to burst out with a big belly laugh when you are in the business of death) and you tell by the delight in her eye that she was dying to get back to work to share the fake TV death story!!!
Mum lived life large and was beautifully gracious and witty to the end. We will miss them both as we get use to the new normal without them.
Now for the humour, which Mum would have love to have read, as my biggest Blog fan. Mum did two hilarious thing in her final weeks. Now keep in mind, she was on heavy morphine, but she was f-u-n-n-y!!!!
First incident: Mum was worried that she would be keeping other residents of the care facility she was in, awake because she was a bit deaf and needed the TV up quite loud to be able to enjoy the actual dialogue. We bought her a headphone set, so she could have it as loud as she liked. One day, she had the headphones on and totally oblivious to the fact that she was the only one that could hear it, she proceeded to sing the opening theme music to 'Rawhide' at the top of her voice. All of it. Including the rather extended Raaaaawwwwwwhhhhhhiiiiiddddddddddeeeeee! It echoed up and down the hallways and only a few startled health care workers stuck their heads in to check she was okay! She can't have been that under the influence if she could remember all those complicated lyrics in perfect order!!!
Rollin' rollin' rollin', keep them all a rollin, Rawhide.......' click the link if you don't know it and want to understand and YES, that is a young Clint Eastwood!! This show must have been Hollywood GOLD in the 50s and 60s!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKC8pSFg1Vw&list=PLT9c-HDi2SiPBgz8Ehh7XwBWW_59Ru-XW
Second incident: (and just quietly, much funnier) Mum was talking to the Hospice staff about Dad being in Hospice and how, less than two years ago, he had quietly passed away after being in a coma for a few days and how his breathing had changed etc etc. The Hospice Nurse said that 'no two deaths are the same' and Mum (who obviously watches too much TV!!!) said to her that it was 'not like it is on TV'....... then Mum clutched her chest, did a lurch, gurgled, rolled, legs twitched, gasped and collapsed....arm falling to one side clearly DEAD! Then she giggled and looked up with a glint in her eye! She had just totally completed her own fake TV death!!! The Hospice Nurse looked like she was fit to burst, (because I guess it is not really appropriate to burst out with a big belly laugh when you are in the business of death) and you tell by the delight in her eye that she was dying to get back to work to share the fake TV death story!!!
Mum lived life large and was beautifully gracious and witty to the end. We will miss them both as we get use to the new normal without them.
