Life and Death

Recently I visited a friend who is not going to live much longer.  I met this woman over 50 years ago.  We were in grade school together and then high school until she moved to California.  She came back to Ohio after I was married.  When we were teens she introduced me to the man that I eventually married so we have had a long history of friendship.  Unfortunately for her she had bad health.  Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if she had taken better care of herself but who am I to judge.  A lot of bad things happened to her at a young age and I feel a lot of that helped to keep her from taking care of herself as she should have.  What is that saying..why do bad things happen to good people?  At any rate I wanted to tell you what a brave person she became with her  failing health.  She even talked about having a celebration of life party for friends and family before she passed on.  I went to see her on Saturday and we laughed and cried and talked and said our goodbyes.  She told me she was ready to die.  Not afraid, just tired.  Her pastor had come in and she had her last communion.  Before I went to see her she had told me she wanted me  to come to her celebration of life party but to come visit before in case she didn't last that long.  I am glad I did go when I did.  The next day after visiting her, she fell and broke an ankle.  Because of the state of health she was in and having the broken ankle they put her in a Compassionate Care Facility because her family could no longer care for her.  She was with Hospice and I imagine this  place is a hospice facility.  I don't know how much longer she has.  She is diabetic, has had open heart surgery and lately had a couple more heart attacks.  Her kidneys have failed and she was put on dialysis but they had to stop that because she lost conciseness during it and coded once.  So now it is a waiting game.  When it is her time to return our Lord I at least know that she is ready.  It gives me peace to know that she is at peace with what is going to happen some day in the near future.