A Journey from Birth to Death and BeyondFULL CIRCLE
One of my first housemates had a baby while she was living with me. Her daughter is now 27 and is a part of my extended family. I will never forget the experience of being right there at her birth. This week I had the honor of witnessing the passing of the beautiful person I have shared my home with for the past five years. I could never have imagined 30 years ago that what I saw as simply renting out a room would bring me full circle from birth to death - and everything in between. I am amazed at this circle of life that I have become a part of by opening myself to the possibilities of sharing my home. LIFE AND DEATH The more experiences I have in my life’s journey, the more I learn and accept that death is a vital part of life. I have lost my mom and dad, both of my sisters, a cousin, and several special friends including my housemate. None of these losses were easy, but there were gifts in each one. In this case I was given the opportunity to literally walk hand in hand with my housemate’s friends, who supported her through these last few weeks and took care of all the details of dealing with her death. Like the birth I watched 27 years ago, this was an experience I will never forget. LIFE AFTER DEATH When my twin sister died I felt a particularly strong desire to make the most of the time I have left on this planet. This most recent experience is another reminder that death is not an end, it is a new beginning. No one knows what kind of afterlife they will find but it will definitely be a new beginning for the person who passes on. For those that are left behind it is a reminder to embrace life fully. I am hoping I will have many more years ahead of me but I am also aware that I will not live forever. I hope my end of life will be like hers. She left this world knowing she was in a place that felt like home, surrounded by loving friends. They have done everything they could to honor her wishes, including picking out a special outfit for her to wear. It says a lot about how well they knew her and it makes me smile. I imagine that when she gets to heaven she will be meeting her maker wearing the comfy top and flower printed pants that her friends chose, perfect clothes for an angel.
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Leslie Masona woman in search of her post-retirement future Guess what! By subscribing, you get notices about the latest Little Old Lady with Cats posts sent to your mailbox!
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(from an entry posted on 5/1/2015) “I definitely fit some of the characteristics of a little old lady with cats: Retired - check, Single - check, Like to knit - check, Have cats - check. . .I do not want to get stuck in my Little Old Lady persona, however. In fact, this blog is a risk taking experiment in exploring and redefining what I want my retired life to look like.” Categories
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