The Funeral Blues
My wonderful mother was declared dead on Monday. I don't know exactly when she passed since I found her lying on the floor in her living room and was already unresponsive. I have never performed CPR 'for real' before until yesterday. I had never worked so hard in my life to try to bring someone back....but she was already gone. Deep down, I knew it but I tried and the paramedics tried for another 10-15 minutes.
God bless the 911 operator who worked with me to keep me calm, the Bremerton and CK Fire departments and their paramedics. I have never seen such dedication and care given not only to the dying but to their loved ones as they sit there agonizing over the very thing they're trying to avoid. They stayed with me while Mark rushed from the ferry to get to me and sent over their chaplain so we wouldn't be alone with my mother's body while waiting for the sheriff's department and coroner's office to release her body to the funeral home. The assistant coroner of the county even offered to stay with me so I wouldn't be alone.
It takes a village to take care of each other. We are never truly alone, especially when we are in need. I am so grateful that in this time of incredible sorrow that I know that Mark and I are not alone at all. We had such wonderful people who serve this community try to help us, to mourn with us and to make sure we were 'okay' so we could deal with all the issues that go along with such a loss.
I am so sad....so devastated...and feel orphaned, even at my age. I have no immediate family close by and my mother's family are all in Japan. I am, as always so thankful that Mark and I have our close friends as well as our work and theatre friends to lean on in times like this.
I love you, my dear sweet, sassy mama. I will miss hearing you laugh, I will miss our political discussions, watching baseball with you and most of all I will miss your advice and shoulder to cry on. This heart aches enormously - more than I thought it ever could.
I miss you so much already. Good Bye, Mama...
God bless the 911 operator who worked with me to keep me calm, the Bremerton and CK Fire departments and their paramedics. I have never seen such dedication and care given not only to the dying but to their loved ones as they sit there agonizing over the very thing they're trying to avoid. They stayed with me while Mark rushed from the ferry to get to me and sent over their chaplain so we wouldn't be alone with my mother's body while waiting for the sheriff's department and coroner's office to release her body to the funeral home. The assistant coroner of the county even offered to stay with me so I wouldn't be alone.
It takes a village to take care of each other. We are never truly alone, especially when we are in need. I am so grateful that in this time of incredible sorrow that I know that Mark and I are not alone at all. We had such wonderful people who serve this community try to help us, to mourn with us and to make sure we were 'okay' so we could deal with all the issues that go along with such a loss.
I am so sad....so devastated...and feel orphaned, even at my age. I have no immediate family close by and my mother's family are all in Japan. I am, as always so thankful that Mark and I have our close friends as well as our work and theatre friends to lean on in times like this.
I love you, my dear sweet, sassy mama. I will miss hearing you laugh, I will miss our political discussions, watching baseball with you and most of all I will miss your advice and shoulder to cry on. This heart aches enormously - more than I thought it ever could.
I miss you so much already. Good Bye, Mama...
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